A planned protest against the Tanzanian government, organized by the main opposition party Chadema, has been violently suppressed by authorities with the arrests of several key party leaders, including Chairman Freeman Mbowe and Deputy Chairman Tundu Lissu, further escalating tensions ahead of upcoming elections, Al Jazeera reports.
Video footage circulating on social media showed police forcefully detaining Mbowe as he arrived to lead the peaceful protest, while separate footage captured officers surrounding Lissu’s home before taking him into custody. Authorities stated they had arrested 14 people, including the two party leaders, for defying a prohibition on the planned rally.
Prior to the arrests, police had been seen blockading the homes of both leaders, raising concerns about the government’s willingness to stifle dissent. Lissu, who survived a targeted assassination attempt in 2016, had earlier expressed apprehension on social media, noting the presence of three police vehicles full of riot gear outside his residence.
The planned protest aimed to denounce alleged killings and abductions of government critics, raising fears of renewed political repression under President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Despite initially signaling a more open democratic approach after taking office in 2021, the current crackdown has fueled accusations that Hassan is reverting to the repressive tactics of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
Chadema has specifically accused security forces of being behind the disappearance of several party members and the recent death of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a senior party official who was found beaten and doused with acid last month.
Despite warnings from the Dar es Salaam police chief Jumanne Muliro, who characterized the protest as a threat to peace, Chadema maintained that the rally would be peaceful. The party’s previous attempt to hold a rally in August resulted in the arrest of hundreds of participants.
Rights groups and international observers, including the United States, have condemned the recent crackdowns as antidemocratic and have voiced concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Tanzania.
