In a surprise move, police in Tanzania broke up a planned protest by the main opposition party, Chadema. Party leaders were arrested on Monday amid rising tensions in the capital, Dar-es-Salaam, where hundreds of supporters had massed to demonstrate against the alleged killing and abductions of government critics.
Besides Mbowe, other high-profile leaders arrested include the party chairman, Freeman Mbowe, and deputy chairman, Tundu Lissu, stirring fears of a revival of political repression with local elections and a national vote due next year. A video circulating on X showed police arresting Mbowe as he arrived to head what was supposed to be a peaceful protest.
Before making the arrests, police had sealed off the homes of the two leaders. Lissu-a target of an assassination attempt in 2016– said on social media that police vehicles were stationed outside his residence. He said he was summoned to accompany officers to the Regional Crimes Officer.
Dar-es-Salaam police chief Jumanne Muliro had threatened earlier that the rally would not be permitted to take place because it would have disturbed public peace, adding that stern measures would be taken against it. In an increasingly tense political atmosphere, Chadema said President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration was sliding back into the oppressive practices of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
Hassan came to power in March 2021 after the sudden death of Magufuli. Initially, he seemed to foster a more open democratic climate, lifting restrictions on rallies by opposition parties and the media. But Chadema says government forces are now behind the disappearance of several party members and the recent killing of its senior official Ali Mohamed Kibao, who was violently attacked last month.
In a statement carried on X, Mbowe insisted that their protest would be peaceful and that they would not use any form of violence. “We are neither carrying any weapons nor planning to violate the peace,” he insisted amidst the heavy police presence.
Hundreds were arrested after Chadema tried to hold a rally in August, an action condemned by rights groups and Western governments, including the United States, as “anti-democratic.”
