Tanzania arrests opposition leaders in mass round-up

DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania´s main opposition party demanded on Monday the release of its top leaders who were detained in a mass roundup ahead of a banned youth day rally, a move condemned by rights activists as “troubling”.

Those arrested include Chadema party chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu -- both former presidential candidates -- as well as several other top leaders, according to party officials.

They said the whereabouts of those detained was unknown and that they had information they may have been beaten. Rights groups and government opponents voiced fears the police action could signal a return to the oppressive policies of late president John Magufuli as the country gears up for elections due late next year.

The arrests came despite his successor Samia Suluhu Hassan vowing a return to “competitive politics” and easing some restrictions on the opposition and the media, including the January 2023 lifting of a six-year ban on opposition gatherings.

Party officials said Mbowe, 62, was arrested on Monday at the airport in the southwestern city of Mbeya, the day after several other leaders including Lissu were detained. Chadema director of communication and foreign affairs John Mrema also told AFP that around 500 youth supporters had been rounded up by police as they were making their way to Mbeya and were being escorted back home.

“We cannot allow this Magufuli style to continue in our country,” Chadema´s deputy secretary general for the Tanzania mainland, Benson Kigaila, told a press conference. Kigaila said five journalists had also been arrested and called for the release of all those detained.

“We want to know the whereabouts of our party leaders who were arrested by the police,” he said, adding that the party had information that some had been beaten. Tanzania´s 2025 presidential and parliamentary elections will be the first since the death of Magufuli, who was nicknamed the “Bulldozer” for his authoritarian policies. Chadema´s youth wing had said about 10,000 youngsters had been expected to meet in Mbeya to mark International Youth Day under the slogan “Take charge of your future”.