Dar es
Salaam. Tensions escalated in Tanzania as 61 individuals, including top
officials from the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) party, were
detained by police during preparations for International Youth Day.
The Citizen newspaper, reports that among the detained
are Chadema’s Deputy Chairman for Mainland, Tundu Lissu, Secretary-General,
John Mnyika, and Nyasa Zone Chairman, Joseph Mbilinyi.
The
arrests occurred in Mbeya, where Chadema was organizing events led by its youth
wing, Bavicha. The party's Director of Protocol, Communications, and Foreign
Affairs, John Mrema, reported that police, including the Regional Police
Commander (RPC) and Regional Crime Officer (RCO), visited the Chadema Nyasa
Zone offices around 8 p.m.
They
intended to interrogate Bavicha leaders, specifically Deputy Chairman Moza Ally
and National Propaganda Secretary Twaha Mwaipaya. However, the situation
escalated when police arrested all those present at the office, not just the
intended interrogatees.
The
detainees were transported to Utengule Police Station, located far from where
they were originally apprehended. Mrema expressed concern about the relocation,
indicating that efforts to resolve the issue with the police, including
communication with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), had not yielded
results.
Chadema
condemned the police actions, particularly the restrictions imposed on their
members traveling to Mbeya for the August 12th celebrations. The party accused
the police and the Deputy Registrar of Political Parties, Sisty Nyahoza, of
unjustly prohibiting non-CCM youth from gathering. They claimed that the
Registrar’s directive, based on unfounded predictions of unrest, was
responsible for the arrests and restrictions on youth nationwide.
Chadema
further alleged that the police were fabricating severe charges against the
youth, such as human trafficking, to justify their actions. Citing incidents at
the Mikese Police Station in Morogoro, the party called on President Samia
Suluhu Hassan to intervene, questioning her commitment to the “4R” agenda without
her involvement.
As of 6
p.m. on the day of the arrests, over 281 youth were reportedly detained at
various police stations across the country, including Temeke, Mbeya, Iringa
Central Station, and others. Chadema's National Chairman, Freeman Mbowe, condemned
the police actions on social media, demanding the immediate and unconditional
release of all those arrested.
Despite
the arrests and police prohibitions, Bavicha announced that preparations for
the Youth Day event at Ruanda Nzovwe grounds in Mbeya were ongoing. The police,
however, had issued a ban on the event, citing concerns that it could incite
unrest and violence, contrary to the Political Parties Act. Bavicha leaders,
undeterred, urged youth to continue their journey to Mbeya and resist the police
restrictions.
Deputy
Chairman Tundu Lissu, who was also on his way to Mbeya, expressed his
solidarity with the youth, stating on social media that he was prepared to be
arrested if necessary. He criticized the police's actions as a suppression of
their rights and called on the President to ensure the police do not use force
against those celebrating International Youth Day.
Police
Commissioner for Operations and Training, Awadhi Juma Haji, reiterated the
police's stance, instructing Regional Police Commanders to enforce the ban and
arrest those attempting to participate in the event. Despite these threats,
Chadema's youth wing remained defiant, determined to proceed with their planned
celebrations.
