Tanzania Clamps Down on Opposition

Several leaders and supporters of Tanzania's opposition party have been detained in a series of mass arrests on Sunday as senior party figures prepared to attend a conference for International Youth Day organized by the youth council of the Chadema party..Rights group Amnesty International has denouced the mass arrests, claiming that intimidation of the country's political opposition has intensified as the nation prepares for its local government elections at the end of the year as well as the 2025 general election..Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the Chadema party, its Secretary General John Mnyika, at least 100 youth supporters, 107 Chadema party members, three journalists and Tundu Lissu, a former presidential candidate were arrested for violating a ban in place against youth conferences..What You Need to Know.Journalists from the Tanzanian Editors' forum have called on the release of the three detained journalists, claming the trio were arrested outside the party's offices in Mbeya city while waiting to interveiw the party's leaders..Deodatus Balile, Chairman of the forum said in a statement "we condemn the arrests of journalists. These actions damage Tanzania's reputation for protecting press freedom, which President Samia Suluhu Hassan has worked hard to rebuild since she took office in March 2021. We, the Tanzania Editors' Forum, do not want to see Tanzania return to the dark days of arbitrary arrests. We demand the immediate release of the arrested journalists.".According to Tanzanian police, the ban on Chadema's youth conference was placed due to it holding a potential to breach the peace, and moved to arrest the members involved before the conference had taken place..According to the Chadema party spokesperson John Mrema, at least 400 individuals have since been arrested..The Details.Tanzania's Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, which President Hassan serves as head, has ruled the nation since independence. Since taking over from President John 'the Bulldozer' Magufuli–who conducted a notable clampdown on opposition parties in 2016–President Hassan has moved to ease restrictions on the nation's political space, such as lifting a ban on political rallies put in place by Magafuli, although clamp downs tend to occur as large elections loom. Tundu Lissu, the arrested former presidential candidate is set to run in the nation's 2025 election survived an assasination attempt in 2017, relocating to Belgium until 2022 as a result..According to Freedom House's 2024 report on Tanzania, the country is labeled as 'partly free,' with its 2020 election "markedly less free and fair than the 2015 election."."The 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud and vote-rigging, threats of violence against opposition figures, and the use of police force against opposition demonstrators, among other irregularities. International and local observers were denied accreditation, as were many international media outlets. Turnout stood at 50 percent," said Freedom House..So, What Now?.As is a common theme with African nations under the uninterrupted rule of a specific party, repression against opposition members, presidential candidates and potential threats is common, particularly in the lead up to large elections..The repression cycle signals that the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi recognizes its faltering rule, taking the easiest option–repression–to alleviate the issue..This method however, is unsustainable. As political repression continues, civilians and opposition party members gain fevor in their resistance against the state, oftentimes leading to conflict or widespread state violence against individuals linked to opposition parties and civil rights organizations.