Tanzanian authorities arrest opposition politicians

Authorities in Tanzania have arrested leading opposition politicians who planned to demonstrate in response to a wave of enforced disappearances of party officials.

On September 23, police arrested Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) party; Tundu Lissu, Mbowe’s deputy and former presidential candidate; and several other party members, and later released them on bail. Chadema had planned the rally in Dar es Salaam to protest perceived government inaction following the kidnapping of at least five people associated with their party. Police had previously banned the demonstrations and threatened to “tackle” anyone who disobeyed their orders.

The missing persons are Dioniz Kipanya, a Chadema party official who disappeared in July, and Deusdedith Soka, Jacob Godwin Mlay and Frank Mbise, who were reportedly abducted by unknown men on August 18. The whereabouts of all four are unknown. Chadema has also called for an investigation into the murder of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a party official who disappeared and whose beaten body was found in September, doused in acid.

The arbitrary arrests of opposition leaders, their supporters and government critics are reminiscent of the presidency of John Magufuli, whose government wrongly arrested dozens of opposition leaders and supporters in the run-up to the 2020 elections.

Since taking office following Magufuli’s death in 2021, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has made some improvements to Tanzania’s human rights record. However, these latest arrests and other restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly have raised human rights concerns in the country.

Authorities have recently harassed, threatened and arrested critics of government contracts and the forced relocation of indigenous Maasai people from their ancestral lands in Ngorongoro, Arusha Region. In August, police arbitrarily arrested hundreds of opposition supporters and several journalists ahead of a planned Youth Day celebration.

The government has also imposed restrictions on access to the social media platform X (formally known as Twitter), Netblocks, the global watchdog for internet freedoms, reported in early September.

Tanzania is holding local elections in November and general elections in 2025. Instead of suppressing freedom of expression and assembly, President Hassan should urgently address the legitimate concerns of protesters, including the whereabouts of the missing party officials, and end the repression.