Tanzania communities still face violence despite cancellation of world bank tourism project

A year after Tanzania canceled a controversial World Bank-funded tourism project due to human rights concerns, local communities around Ruaha National Park continue to suffer from violence and intimidation. Despite the project’s termination, park rangers are still using excessive force against villagers and pastoralists, while the government threatens mass evictions, according to civil society groups and the Oakland Institute, a U.S.-based policy think tank.

The situation has grown increasingly dire, with two people killed since April 2025, when the World Bank Board approved a management action plan to address community grievances. Local farmers report they cannot access traditional lands after park boundaries were redrawn for the now-defunct tourism development. “The situation is very dire on the ground,” said Anuradha Mittal from the Oakland Institute, noting that promised ranger training and grievance mechanisms have not materialized.

The World Bank’s own Inspection Panel found in September 2024 that the institution failed to follow key policies on resettlement and risk assessment, concluding the project inadequately evaluated local community impacts. The management plan was designed to address complaints filed by affected communities, but implementation appears to have fallen short of protecting vulnerable populations.

While a World Bank spokesperson claims the management plan implementation is “well advanced” and that a grievance mechanism has been established, community representatives paint a different picture of ongoing violence and displacement threats. The case highlights persistent challenges in balancing conservation efforts with indigenous and local community rights in East Africa.