Kamala Harris meets the president of Tanzania amidst human rights violation accusations

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Dar es Salaam - US vice president Kamala Harris arrived in Tanzania on Thursday for a state visit. She called for a more inclusive government as she stepped onto the front lines of America’s push to strengthen democracy in Africa.

Standing alongside Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female president, Harris cited recent decisions from Tanzania such as lifting a ban on opposition rallies and encouraging more press freedom as “important and meaningful steps” toward democratic reforms in the country. Hassan has undone some of Tanzania’s more oppressive policies even though she came to power as a member of the ruling party.

“The United States will continue to work alongside democratic governments in support of democratic aspiration and the democratic aspirations in particular of the people of this continent,” Harris said.

The two leaders planned to discuss matters of good government, long-term economic growth in Tanzania, and the climate crisis.

But this visit comes at a time when the Suluhu’s government is cutting off vital health services in Ngorongoro district as part of a “voluntary” resettlement plan for area residents.

These actions, in the name of wildlife conservation, violate the right to health of members of the semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralist community and directly interfere with their ability to continue living in an area they have managed for 200 years.

Earlier last year, Tanzania’s government took steps to transfer funding for basic services, including health and education, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, to another district about 600 kilometers away.

In February 2022, the government grounded Flying Medical Services, a medical outreach service provider, and in October announced that the area’s main hospital would be downgraded to a clinic with a significant reduction in staff. The government has couched these steps under the guise of conservation to expand areas for viewing and hunting wildlife while restricting human settlement there.

Ngorongoro residents told Human Rights Watch that the government’s actions have severely affected access to health care, including for pregnant women and mothers with small children.

Comprehensive health care for women and girls is necessary to advance equality and empowerment and is fundamental to the realization of human rights, but it must be genuinely accessible. As Vice President Harris looks to bolster US relationships with African countries, her visit provides an opportunity to amplify the link between rights-respecting policies, including on land, health, and women’s rights, and advancing shared security and economic prosperity.

The US is a key development and healthcare partner of Tanzania and Vice President Harris should center human rights in the US-Tanzania relationship. During her visit, she should urge Tanzanian officials to end abusive policies in Ngorongoro district and preserve the Maasai community’s right to health, among others, as a core foundation of shared economic prosperity.

GAROWE ONLINE