Tanzania police arrest senior opposition party official after deadly protests, target others

Police in Tanzania arrested a senior official from opposition party Chadema on Saturday and authorities named nine others being sought in relation to violent protests that followed last week’s elections.

Chadema and some human rights activists say that security forces killed more than 1,000 people. The government has called those numbers exaggerated without offering its own death toll.

Chadema said its deputy secretary general, Amani Golugwa, was arrested by police. Golugwa was named by police along with nine others as wanted in connection with the investigation into the unrest, a day after prosecutors charged 145 people with treason.

“The police force, in collaboration with other defence and security agencies, is continuing a serious manhunt to find all who planned, coordinated and executed this evil act,” the police said in a statement.

PROTESTS FOLLOWED LANDSLIDE WIN BY INCUMBENT HASSAN

Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, was charged with treason in April, and his exclusion from the ballot, along with another leading opposition contender, has largely driven the protests.

The electoral commission declared incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner with nearly 98 per cent of the vote. She was sworn in on Monday.

Those being sought for arrest include Chadema’s secretary general John Mnyika and the party’s head of communications, Brenda Rupia, the police statement said.

Chadema accused the government of forcing party leaders and members to confess to organising demonstrations.

“The government intends to charge our leaders with treason in an attempt to cripple the party’s leadership and paralyse its operations,” the party said in a statement.

African Union observers said the vote was not credible and that they had documented ballot-box stuffing. The government has dismissed criticism of the process and said the election was fair.

Violent protests broke out on October 29 in the cities of Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and Mbeya, as well as several regions across the country, police said in Saturday’s statement, laying out the extent of the unrest for the first time.

People were harmed during the violence, police said without giving details, while private and public property, including bank teller machines and government offices, was destroyed.