World Bank project in Tanzania: Rangers kill two villagers
Four months ago, the World Bank canceled the REGROW project in Tanzania, driven in part by pressure from Rainforest Rescue. Today it is clear that the violent repercussions stemming from the REGROW project continues despite its cancellation. Within the past two weeks, rangers from the national park authority TANAPA, which was co-financed by the project, are said to have killed two villagers.
According to reports from the Oakland Institute, six fishermen were attacked by rangers within the disputed boundaries of Ruaha National Park on April 26, 2025. When they tried to flee, the rangers shot 27-year-old Hamprey Mhaki in the back. It is assumed that Mhaki succumbed to his gunshot wound. He is still missing.
On May 7, 2025, a group of herders and their cattle were attacked by a TANAPA helicopter, which is said to have opened fire with live ammunition. Citing eyewitnesses, the Oakland Institute reports that 20-year-old herdsman Kulwa Igembe was shot in the chest by one of the rangers on the ground. He died at the scene. According to Tanzanian media, four TANAPA rangers were arrested by local police.
According to local sources, more than 1,000 cattle belonging to several herders were confiscated after the attack. Only half were returned after the herders paid a fine equivalent to 33 euros per animal—a significant financial blow.
One of the aims of the World Bank's REGROW project was to strengthen the capacity of the rangers who are committing these acts of violence. The Oakland Institute had warned of impending human rights violations early on. A petition with Rainforest Rescue had called for the project to be canceled—which it was, eventually.
In an official investigation in 2024, the Bank admitted that the project had increased the potential for violent confrontations between rangers and villagers by “strengthening TANAPA's capacity to enforce the law”. The Bank had failed to adequately supervise TANAPA and ignored the use of “excessive force”. Over the course of the REGROW project, at least 11 people were killed by police or rangers, five disappeared and dozens suffered physical and psychological harm, including torture and sexual violence.
"The violence has not stopped. Villagers are being killed, their livestock stolen, their lives destroyed," says Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute. Local communities are demanding that the World Bank take responsibility and act now. "Every day of silence costs lives. The victims and their families deserve justice, truth and the chance to live without fear," says Mittal. Rainforest Rescue joins these demands.
This page is available in the following languages:
World Bank: Stop financing evictions and human rights abuses in Tanzania!
Tanzania’s government plans to evict over 20,000 people under the pretext of conservation by doubling the size of Ruaha National Park. The World Bank is enabling this move.
Protecting Africa’s rich natural heritage
The Congo Basin is home to the second largest rainforest in the world, habitat of gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants. Our partners courageously defend these forests.
A radio station for communities and nature
Northwestern Tanzania's wilderness is world-renowned. But for the Maasai people, this blessing is also a curse, as the government tramples on their rights in the name of “conservation”. A radio station aims to be a voice of reconciliation: People who are informed and know their rights can shape their own future and work toward living together in harmony.