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The government of United Republic of Tanzania has never had any plan to evict the Maasai people from their ancestral land as falsely reported by the media in recent days. The information circulated through the media outlets globally was misleading, malicious and meant to tarnish the image of our country and her international standing.

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The Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism (http://www.mnrt.go.tz), Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu said that the claims that 40,000 Maasai were being evicted are false unfounded and baseless. The argument that the land in question is being sold to a wealthy Middle Eastern family are a total fabrication and in contrary to the Tanzanian law.

Members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Land, Natural Resource, and Environment are due to visit the Loliondo area to bear witness to the government position and speak directly to the Maasai people. The Minister, Lazaro Nyalandu will also be leading a team of government officials and Media Houses to visit Ngorongoro in the next few days.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Ministry for Natural Resources and Tourism of The United Republic of Tanzania.