Tanzania’s main opposition party has demanded the unconditional release of its leaders and young supporters who were detained ahead of a banned International Youth Day rally.
The Chadema Party has accused Tanzanian police of arresting party chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy, Tundu Lissu, both former presidential candidates, along with the party’s secretary general, John Mnyika, and more than 400 young party supporters.
The arrests came as the party prepared to celebrate International Youth Day on Monday at an event in Tanzania’s southwest city, Mbeya.
Police have denied making the arrests, but John Mrema, Chadema’s director of communications and foreign affairs, told VOA’s English to Africa Service that police were responsible for detaining the party officials and supporters.
“We have called on police to release them or bring them to a court of law,” he said. “At this moment, we don’t know where they are.”
Rights groups have expressed concerns that the police action could lead to a return to the repressive policies of late President John Magufuli as the country prepares for elections late next year.
Police said Monday’s youth event was organized to cause confusion and misinform the public.
“That is their narrative, and it is not true at all, because how can we organize such a thing within the institution?” Mremba said.
The arrests are part of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s efforts to consolidate power, said David Monda, a political science professor at City University of New York.
Monda told VOA he thinks leaders in Tanzania are worried that young people in Tanzania may be inspired by the recent Gen Z protests in Kenya.
Over the past few months, thousands of mostly young Kenyans have joined protests around the country, leading Kenyan President William Ruto to withdraw unpopular legislation that would have raised taxes.
“It really shows how insecure the ruling party is in Tanzania about how the opposition is able to sell its program to the public. Because this year, the ruling party has dominated the politics for so many years. But I think the bigger problem is the concern that the youth protests we had in neighboring Kenya, which spread to Uganda — we saw even in Nigeria — are now coming to Tanzania,” Monda said.
“Samia Suluhu is really trying to consolidate power, and by harassing the opposition, I think this is one way of restricting the ability to challenge her rule,” Monda said about the country’s first female president.
Samia has vowed to return to “competitive politics” and has eased some restrictions on the opposition and the media, which included the January 2023 lifting of a six-year ban on opposition gatherings.
This story originated in VOA’s English to Africa Service.
