Tanzania: Tanzania’s opposition leaders freed on bail following a mass arrest. Leaders of the main opposition party, Chadema, including its chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu, were released a day after being detained in the southwestern town of Mbeya on the eve of a Youth Day rally.
Nearly 520 people were jailed in a nationwide crackdown to prevent Chadema from holding a parade through Mbeya. According to the police, some of those arrested remain in jail as they failed to meet the requirements for bail.
Although the late President John Magufuli’s restrictions on opposition gatherings were lifted, and opposition gatherings were encouraged by his successor, Samia Hassan, there are concerns that Tanzania could revert to the authoritarian rule of his predecessor.
The police banned the Chadema rally, claiming it was intended to incite violence. They stated that the rally was meant to bring people together similarly to the “youth in Kenya,” referring to the neighbouring country, which has been facing weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations.
Chadema’s youth wing mentioned they expected nearly 10,000 people to attend the rally, which was held under the slogan “Take Charge of Your Future.” The party stated on X (formerly Twitter) that its offices in Mbeya were “surrounded by police who were not allowing people to enter.”
John Mrema, a Chadema spokesman, confirmed the release of many party leaders, including Mbowe and Lissu, but noted that several others remained in detention.
The police stated, “All the top Chadema leaders who were arrested, after interrogation and other procedures, have been returned to where they came from.”
According to Chadema, Lissu was taken into custody on Sunday, and Mbowe was arrested on Monday when he arrived at the airport in Mbeya to support the party chairman and two other officials, including John Pambalu, the head of the party’s youth wing. Lissu, who survived an attempted assassination in 2017 when she was shot sixteen times, returned to Tanzania in 2023 after a two-year exile in Belgium.
After Magufuli’s unexpected death in 2021, President Samia Hassan took office and was praised for departing from many of her predecessor’s policies. However, some opposition leaders have criticised her and questioned her commitment to political reconciliation in the wake of the arrests. Tanzania is scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in late 2024.
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