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Investigation launched into killings and evictions on World Bank tourism project

Tanzania government blamed for violence against villagers in national park, while thousands more people face losing their homes

The World Bank is investigating allegations of killings, rape and forced evictions made by villagers living near the site of a proposed tourism project it is funding in Tanzania.

The bank has been accused of “enabling” alleged violence by the Tanzanian government to make way for a $150m (£123m) project ministers say will protect the environment and attract more tourists to Ruaha national park.

The “resilient natural resource management for tourism and growth” (Regrow) project will almost double the size of the park, which is 130km (80 miles) from the city of Iringa.

Villagers living near Ruaha told researchers at the Oakland Institute thinktank that rangers had killed and beaten cattle herders and fishers, had raped women and confiscated thousands of head of cattle, under the premise that they had encroached on the national park.

In April 2021, rangers reportedly shot and killed William Nundu, a fisher, and allegedly killed two herders, Sandu Masanja, and Ngusa Salawa, who was only 14 years old. The regional police commander claimed that they were killed by wild animals while illegally entering the park, according to a report published by the institute on Thursday .

More than 21,000 people from dozens of villages around Ruaha are also facing eviction by the government, it claimed.

Anuradha Mittal, the executive director of the Oakland Institute, said: “[The] Regrow project is not about protecting wildlife or conservation. Instead, the bank is financing an oppressive and violent economic growth model based on boosting tourism revenues.”

Mittal said the World Bank should have scrutinised the Tanzanian government’s record on human rights before financing it. The government authorised evictions close to the same area in 2006 and has been criticised for its handling of forced evictions in northern Tanzania, which “should have triggered internal alarm before the bank decided to finance the project”, added Mittal. “Instead, it looked the other way and continues to do so. It should be held accountable.”

The institute said villagers were told in October 2022 they would have to leave their land despite holding title deeds, which the government has cancelled, claiming the property fell within the boundaries of the national park.

More than 850 villagers have challenged the evictions in Tanzania’s high court.

Two community members, with the help of Oakland, have also submitted a complaint to the World Bank saying they had not been consulted about the evictions or provided adequate resettlement plans for the projects, which were causing “harm to their identity, culture and rights”.

A community leader who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity called the government’s actions “heavy-handed and unlawful”. He said communities in more than 40 villages will lose ancestral and lawfully owned land.

“Many farmers were barred from cultivating their farms this year causing hunger and poverty. Many of the residents of the villages in question face an uncertain future and psychological pain,” he said.

“I want the World Bank to immediately halt the project and conduct forensic investigation on the allegations of gross violation of human rights in the project area.”

Roland Ebole, an Amnesty International researcher focusing on Tanzania and Uganda, said abuses around the park have been reported since 2008 when the government first began to scope out plans for its expansion.

“We find villagers being accused of herding inside areas they have been restricted from and they are told to pay fines of high amounts or have their cattle confiscated. I know villagers who have been willing to pay fines but officials hold them in custody for days,” said Ebole.

He said tourism, much of it linked to trophy hunting, has driven a need for the government to take land, even at the expense of the people living there and often without their consent.

“You find them going to the most rural areas with the assumption the people are ignorant and most times they fail to consult them on issues regarding their land, sometimes ancestral land, and issue ultimatums to move,” said Ebole.

A World Bank spokesperson said: “The World Bank takes the allegations very seriously, and we are looking into them, working with the bank’s inspection panel. If a project doesn’t adhere to the social and environmental standards, we want to know about it and more importantly we want to improve it.”

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New World Bank Group Report Says Liberia Needs to Prioritize Essential Climate Actions to Promote Growth and Development

MONROVIA, March 22, 2024 – The World Bank Group’s new Country Climate and Development Report ( CCDR ) for Liberia explores the mounting risks that climate change could undercut Liberia’s economy and push more Liberians into poverty. Highlighting the role of proactive action, the report calls for adaptation and better planning for low-carbon growth, land use, and investment.

While Liberia is among the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases responsible for global climate change, it is among the most vulnerable countries to climate impacts. For instance, rice – Liberia’s main staple – is highly reactive to increased humidity, extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall, and the pests that flourish under these conditions. The CCDR finds that Liberia’s rainfed rice production could be reduced by up to 13 percent over 2041-2050 from climate change compared to the baseline scenario. The resultant decrease in income and heightened reliance on costly imports could exacerbate poverty and food insecurity for many Liberian households.

Liberia is likely to face a growing threat from hotter temperatures, erratic rainfall, and climate disasters such as floods, windstorms, and heat waves over time. Yet readiness to adapt has been low, as the lack of detailed data on climate hazards and disasters has hampered effective risk assessment. The Report discusses pathways for more resilient growth and intensified climate adaptation in Liberia, which hosts one the largest rainforests in West Africa and has potential for carbon markets and benefit-sharing from climate financing.

“ This Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) examines Liberia’s development trajectory through the lens of the country’s vulnerability to climate change ,” said Robert Taliercio, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. “ It identifies Liberia’s development risks and opportunities, models various scenarios of climate impact and intervention, and proposes ways to strengthen resilience and finance climate actions that support Liberia’s development aspirations of inclusive growth and poverty reduction .”

The CCDR identifies four priority climate actions that respond to adaptation and migration needs:

• Climate Risks and Readiness – shifting towards a policy framework that integrates climate finance, risk, and coordination;
• Essential Infrastructure – upgrading and designing infrastructure built with climate risks and opportunities in mind;
• Human Development Promotion – moving towards targeted investment in human development to reduce dependency on natural wealth and increase climate resilience; and
• Sustainable Land Management – focusing on sustainable land-use across sectors, emphasizing community benefits from natural capital.

“The CCDR underscores the importance of leveraging the private sector in meeting Liberia's climate goals,”  said Kyle F. Kelhofer, International Finance Corporation Senior Country Manager for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.  “ It advocates for creating an enabling environment for increased private sector investment in climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and waste recycling to reduce energy costs and promote sustainable development.”

The Report calls for scaling up reliable water and sanitation services and enhanced solid waste management practices, including investment in drainage and flood protection systems to protect against heavy rainfall and storm surges. It also recommends increased resilience in the operations and maintenance of unpaved roads and exploration of public-private partnerships for low-carbon mass transit solutions. Looking ahead, the Report calls for improve monitoring and enforcement of mining and forestry sectors and strengthening capacity of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) to regulate land use and manage conflicts.

* The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs)  are new core diagnostic reports that explore the interlink between climate change and development. They help countries prioritize the most impactful actions that can foster a low carbon transition and boost resilience, while delivering on broader development goals. CCDRs build on data and rigorous research and identify main pathways to reduce GHG emissions, their externalities and climate vulnerabilities, including the costs and challenges as well as benefits and opportunities from doing so. The reports suggest concrete, priority actions to support the transition. As public documents, CCDRs aim to inform governments, citizens, the private sector, development partners and all stakeholders engaged with the development and climate agenda. CCDRs feed into other core Bank Group diagnostics, country engagements and operations, and help attract funding and direct financing for high-impact climate action.

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If the region employed as large a share of the working-age population as other emerging markets and developing economies, its output could be 16% higher, Ohnsorge said. In India, the World Bank said, economic activity surprised on the upside in 2023Q4, with growth of 8.4 per cent from a year ago.

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