On Monday, Tanzanian police arrested several high-ranking opposition leaders, including former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu, and detained around 500 supporters in the southwestern city of Mbeya.
The arrests occurred as the opposition party, Chadema, planned to hold a rally to mark International Youth Day, which the police had previously banned, citing concerns of potential violence.
According to John Mrema, Chadema’s director of communications and foreign affairs, the arrests were made as party leaders gathered in the offices of Chadema in Nyassa region.
The party had planned to hold a rally with approximately 10,000 youth supporters, which the police banned on Sunday, accusing the party of planning violent demonstrations.
This development comes as Tanzania prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2025, amid concerns about democratic progress and the government’s handling of opposition protests.
The opposition has been staging protests in recent months, calling on the government to address soaring living costs, ensure independent oversight of the electoral process, and withdraw controversial bills.
Since taking office in 2021, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has implemented some political reforms, including lifting a ban on opposition rallies imposed by her predecessor in 2016.
