Below is an article published in IPP Media:

We are driving to Loliondo, the headquarters of Ngorongoro district. If one is to go there, he may be tempted to believe that he has been lost.

Ngorongoro is a district which is currently in the news because of the healing powers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania cleric Ambilikile Mwasapila.

The road to Loliondo is extremely rough but there’s nothing we can do in our desire to reach the town.

Our team from the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) want to have discussions with three representatives of non-governmental organizations which in recent years have been victims of harassment and even arrest by district officials simply because of fighting for the rights of the weak in the district.

For a few minutes we get a chance to meet the three men who have faced hell for defending the rights of the voiceless.

People who recall past events in Loliondo will remember that last year three representatives of NGOs in the area were arrested after a land dispute that saw hundreds of houses being burned to ashes.

Samwel Nangiria, a director of NGONETT in the area is one of those harassed and he admits that he was summoned 17 times in the last year alone. He admits that the district is one of the richest in the country due to its resources but says its people have been victims of eviction and harassment with the authorities favouring investors.

Nangirira [and] his colleague Robert Kamakia,an advocacy project manager from NGONETT and Gasper Leboy of Oxfam have been victims because of trying to speak against the land grabbing by the Ortello Business Company.

Before visiting Nangiria, we managed to get some tips on the so-called owners of the land -- one being the Ortello Business Company -- where we were told that it is easier to get into the State House than to enter the OBC territory.

There is tight security in the area. People living around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are not allowed to put up permanent structures or to plant permanent food and cash crops. Surprisingly, the OBC has built a mansion as well as an airstrip where big planes can land.

People who call for the eviction of the indigenous Maasai tribesmen in the area claim that their presence threatens the existence of wild animals. Interestingly, the Maasai do not eat meat from wild animals while investors -- who own hunting blocs -- kill animals for pleasure and food.

According to Nangiria, wildlife laws have always been given more priority than ever saying conflicts have been part of their clansmen since the colonial era.

“The Maasai were evicted from the Serengeti area on one condition that they would never be disturbed again. Surprisingly, they are now told that they should leave,” he says.

The animal wealth in the area has turned Tanzanians against each other as government officials have turned against their own people in favour of the wealthy few. Worse still, NGOs and civil society organizations advocating for the rights of the people in Loliondo are termed as instigators to the community for their own good.

Robert Kamakia, NGONETT advocacy project manager, admits that the life of human rights defenders in the district is difficult as they keep on receiving threats as they defend the voiceless.

“Some say we’re instigators causing trouble for the community for our own good. CSOs have no protection in the district. We’re very unsafe and we face anything that we don’t know,” says Kamakia.

“Ngorongoro is full of conflicts due to its natural resources. Some people have been misleading others to hide human rights violations. Government uses too much energy to advocate for investors. Investors in this district have contributed to the state of confusion in the area,” says Gasper Leboy of Oxfam.