Uvinje update: ICCA Consortium’s letter to the Tanzanian President.

Tanzanian authorities are proceeding with the eviction of the Uvinje despite the clear recommendations of the government ombudsman, the Tanzanian Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG), that the Uvinje's claim to ownership of theirn ancestral land is legitimate.

With the Tanzanian authorities flouting the proper means of dispute resolution, the international community is pursuing every possible avenue to stop the eviction of the Uvinje.

As such, Protimos welcomes ICCA’s Consortium’s recent letter to the Tanzanian President, John Pombe Magufuli. The letter urges the President to ensure that the Uvinje’s case is treated fairly, with due respect for the Uvinje’s legal and human rights. The President has the power not only to halt the planned eviction, but also to begin the legal processes that would ensure that the Uvinje’s ownership of the land, as upheld by CHRAGG, is respected by other parties.

This is the fifth letter concerning the Uvinje that the ICCA has sent to the Tanzanian premier (see below for previous letters from 2014, 2015, and 2016). Several themes emerge across the letters; the authorities’ confusion over the historical boundaries of the National Park, and the villagers’ steadfast determination to hold onto their land.
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It is encouraging to see organisations from across the world acting together in support of the Uvinje. To find out more about both the Uvinje and the steps Protimos is taking to help the villagers, click here.

ICCA Consortium's first letter, August 2014
ICCA Consortium's second letter, February 2015
ICCA Consortium's third letter, May 2015
​ICCA Consortium's fourth letter, January 2016

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