UAE royals drive Maasai off their land to hunt lions

The village of Ololosokwan sits in the Great Rift Valley, bordering Tanzania Serengeti National Park, is surrounded by thousands of square miles of savannah—grasslands sprawling over low hills and dotted with mimosa, jacaranda and umbrella acacia trees. The settlement consists of several unpaved streets where sheep, goats, chickens and emaciated cows roam unattended. Painted in the cellphone provider’s vibrant red, orange and green corporate colors, the few stores in the single-story cinder block building serve some 6,500 residents. in the suburbs, bomas– Temporary enclosures built from tree branches containing thatched roof dwellings – provide shelter for families and their livestock.

K. used to call Ololosokwan home. But for nearly a year, he has been living on the Kenyan border. On June 10 last year, K. heard shouts in the distance and jumped on his motorcycle to check. At the village office, about 200 police, military and park rangers confronted about 500 locals. K. said gunfire rang out as the officers tried to push their way through the crowd. Local men drew wooden bows from their backs and fired a barrage of arrows, one of which hit a policeman in the eye, killing him. Government agents responded by firing into the crowd. “They were firing bullets,” said K., who, like other witnesses, asked that his name not be used for fear of retribution from the government. Suddenly, he fell and was wounded by the gunshot. He was carried into the forest, where he passed out.