World Bank suspends funding Tanzania tourism project
By Wedaeli Chibelushi
The World Bank has halted its funding of a $150m ($120m) tourism project in Tanzania following allegations of rape, evictions and killings.
The Ruaha National Park was reportedly meant to double in size as part of the project, but critics say the expansion has led to widespread abuses.
The bank began investigating last year after it was accused of complicity in the abuses.
On Tuesday, it said it was “deeply concerned” about the allegations.
“We have therefore decided to suspend further disbursement of funds with immediate effect,” a spokesperson from the bank, which provides loans to developing countries, said.
The Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (Regrow) project was launched in 2017 in an effort to improve the “management of natural resources and tourism assets” in southern Tanzania, including in a number of national parks, the bank said.
At least $100m has already been disbursed for the project, according to the US-based think tank Oakland Institute.
Work to expand the boundaries of the Ruaha National Park, a 12,950-sq-km (5,000-sq-mile)conservation area that is home to lions and other wild animals, has been under heavy scrutiny.
