Tanzanian immigration authorities on Wednesday launched a 10-day special crackdown on illegal immigrants that have encroached on the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, in the north of the East African nation.
Anna Makakala, the commissioner-general for the Tanzania Immigration Services Department, warned people who have invaded the game-controlled area illegally to vacate immediately.
Makakala said that a recent survey showed that an influx of illegal immigrants grazing cattle in the area was alarming.
She announced the crackdown following a recent official visit to the game-controlled area by the Minister for Home Affairs, Hamad Yusuf Masauni, who directed the immigration authorities to curb the influx of illegal immigrants, most of whom drove their flocks of cattle, goats and sheep into the area.
The illegal immigrants were inciting indigenous residents in the area to resist conservation measures being undertaken by the government, said Masauni.
In addition, Makakala called upon registered civil organizations to operate within the laws of the country, warning that stern measures will be taken against those who will contravene the laws. Enditem
