In Tanzania, opposition leader arrested a few days before local elections

The events occur a few days before the local elections. The leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Freeman Mbowe, was arrested on Friday, November 22, along with other officials, after police dispersed a demonstration. “Use tear gas”.

The Chadema party (Party of Democracy and Development) had already protested earlier this week against the disqualification. “unfair” of several of its candidates on the eve of a vote in cities and towns across the country. The November 27 elections are expected as a barometer of the political landscape before the presidential elections scheduled for October 2025.

“Police ambushed convoy in Halungu forest”in the west of the country, “and arrested the party’s national president, Freeman Mbowe, as well as several other leaders accompanying him”declared X John Mrema, party spokesperson. “The police took our leaders without revealing their fate”he added, calling for his release.

Mrema also said law enforcement had prevented Mbowe, before his arrest, from speaking at a rally by his supporters in the southern town of Mlowo. Then the police intervened and “dispersed the gathered crowd with tear gas”depending on the match.

The police confirmed that they were arresting Mbowe and his colleagues, accusing them of violating the demonstration schedule by trying to organize “a meeting in an area that was not planned for Chadema”. “We are detaining them for questioning and investigation because some officers were injured by opposition supporters while dispersing the crowd.”Songwe regional police chief Augustino Senga said in a video.

Political repression

Tanzania has seen intensifying political repression in recent months. The Chadema party accuses security forces of being involved in the disappearances of several of its members and the murder of Ali Mohamed Kibao, one of its leaders, on September 7.

Mbowe had already been briefly detained in late September, along with dozens of others, when Tanzanian police prevented a demonstration by his party in Dar es Salaam. A party official also claimed to have been kidnapped and tortured last month by individuals who presented themselves as officials.

The local elections will be the first test for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office after the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in March 2021.^me Hassan had shown signs of democratic openness when he came to power in March 2021, by quickly reopening, for example, media outlets that were then banned.

But the president has faced strong criticism in recent months, accusing her of returning to the authoritarian practices of her predecessor, on the eve of local elections in November and general elections scheduled for the end of 2025.

According to Mrema, two former opposition MPs, Joseph Mbilinyi and Pascal Haonga, as well as media executives and Mbowe’s personal assistants, were also arrested on Friday, along with a district leader from another opposition party.

According to the spokesperson, the leaders came across a roadblock set up by the police. “The police forcibly opened the car doors, assaulted the people inside and forcibly arrested them.” declared.

The Chadema party condemned an act that, according to it, “clearly demonstrates a coordinated effort” of the police and the ruling party “undermine [s]campaigns ». Chadema also invited the international community to “witnessing the continued violations of democratic rights against opposition parties during these elections”.