Tanzania, Masaai fight over relocation

Tensions are rising between Tanzanian government and Indigenous Maasai pastoralists following a June 10 confrontation between police officers and residents at Ololosokwani village in Ngorongoro district on the eastern edge of the Serengeti National Park.

According to some government sources, the fighting erupted after locals mobilised and attempted to stop game wardens who arrived at the village with police officers to demarcate a plot of about 1,500 square kilometres– the bone of contention.

In a video clip, recorded by a human rights activist from the area, a number of elderly villagers said they were attacked by police with sharp objects and others were shot at with live bullets.

They showed wounds on their limbs and heads.

Activists say at least 31 people were severely injured and that hundreds have been displaced.

Authorities claim the land is crucial for wildebeest reproduction and migration into Serengeti and a key source of water for the national park.