Tanzania: Protest Ban Sees Opposition Leaders Arrested

Tanzanian police arrested two opposition leaders on Monday, 23 September, blocking a planned anti-government protest in Dar es Salaam.

Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the Party for Democracy and Progress (CHADEMA), and his deputy, Tundu Lissu, were detained alongside a dozen others for defying a ban on protests. The demonstration was intended to highlight alleged murders and abductions of those critical of the current government.

CHADEMA reported that Mbowe was arrested while preparing to lead the protest, while Lissu was taken from his home by a convoy of police vehicles.

Rights campaigners have expressed concern that President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government is intentionally cracking down on opposition ahead of local elections in December, as well as the national elections next year.

The arrests come amid growing fears that Tanzania is reverting to repressive practices reminiscent of former president John Magufuli’s rule. Riot police had been deployed across key roads since the weekend in anticipation of the protest, which the government had deemed illegal.

President Hassan, who had previously lifted a ban on opposition gatherings and pledged to restore political freedoms, has yet to comment on the arrests.

The incident also follows the recent abduction and murder of another senior party member, raising further alarm among opposition groups.

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