A U.S.-based rights group that has long encouraged the global lender to take such action claims that the World Bank has discontinued funding for a tourism project in Tanzania that resulted in suffering for tens of thousands of residents.
The Oakland Institute claimed in a statement on Tuesday that the World Bank’s decision to halt the $150 million project was “long overdue” and that the bank’s “failure to take immediate action resulted in serious harms for the local communities.” The project’s goal is to improve the management of natural resources and tourism assets in a remote area of southern Tanzania.
Started in 2017, the initiative has already received at least $100 million in funding. The World Bank financing was halted as of April 18.
Laptops 1000For years, the Oakland Institute, a rights advocacy organization based in California that works with underprivileged groups, has been leading calls for the World Bank to discontinue funding the REGROW project, which documents grave violations of Indigenous people’ rights in the region.
In a study published in November, the organization charged that the World Bank was not holding the Tanzanian authorities responsible for extrajudicial killings and sexual assaults that occurred in connection with the extension of Ruaha National Park.
The REGROW project’s objective of increasing tourism in Ruaha National Park and driving out local residents was found to be “inextricably tied to its financing by the World Bank,” according to the report.
During the time, the World Bank said that it “has zero tolerance for violence in the projects it finances,” and it added that an inspection panel was examining a REGROW complaint “to determine whether a compliance audit into the raised concerns is warranted.”
The World Bank, in correspondence with the Oakland Institute, indicated that it will not be making any more payments to REGROW “until we are confident that the project is upholding our environmental and social standards.”
The World Bank’s decision to halt funding for “a dangerous project,” according to Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute, is a win for the nation’s underprivileged people in East Africa.
Laptops 1000“It conveys a strong message to the Tanzanian government that there are repercussions for its widespread violations of human rights occurring throughout the nation in an effort to increase tourism,” Mittal stated. “It’s finally happening that the days of impunity are ending.”
It was not immediately feasible to get in contact with Tanzanian officials for a response.
The Oakland Institute recorded several instances of sexual assault against women and at least 12 cases of disappearances or extrajudicial killings that were purportedly carried out by rangers. Large quantities of livestock were purportedly taken by government agencies and put up for sale, placing a significant financial burden on herders and forcing them to flee.
It added in a statement on Tuesday that “rangers illegally seized and auctioned off thousands of cattle from herders during the first months of 2024 while preventing farmers from cultivating their land -– devastating countless livelihoods as a result.”
Tanzania’s economy is largely dependent on tourism, and the nation has long worked to enhance its vast national parks in order to draw more tourists.
The actions have affected tens of thousands of villages in various parts of Tanzania, drawing attention to local authorities’ mistreatment of civilians.
In order to make large areas of land available for trophy hunting, 70,000 Maasai were forcibly removed from their grazing fields in the Loliondo area. Amnesty International and other organizations have highlighted these efforts.
