TANZANIAN authorities are planning the arrest of opposition leaders accused of instigating the violent protests that erupted across the country during last week’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to Reuters, the police released a list of 10 wanted individuals in a statement on Saturday, November 8, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the unrest, a day after prosecutors filed treason charges against 145 suspects.
“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 organisation said.
According to the statement, those wanted for arrest include CHADEMA’s Secretary-General, John Mnyika; his deputy, Amaan Golugwa; and the party’s Head of Communications, Brenda Rupia.
The main opposition party, CHADEMA, along with several human rights activists, have claimed that security forces killed over 1,000 people but the government dismissed the figures as exaggerated, without providing its own official death toll.
CHADEMA leader, Tundu Lissu, who was charged with treason in April, was barred from contesting the election, a move, along with the disqualification of another major opposition candidate, that has fueled the ongoing protests.
The electoral commission announced incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner, securing nearly 98 per cent of the votes. She took the oath of office on Monday.
Observers from the African Union described the election as lacking credibility, citing evidence of ballot box stuffing. The government, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that the election was free and fair.
In the statement released on Saturday, police detailed for the first time the scale of the unrest, saying violent protests erupted on October 29 in the cities of Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, and Mbeya, as well as several other regions across the country.
Police confirmed that people were injured during the violence but did not provide further details, adding that both private and public property including ATMs and government offices were vandalised.
The ICIR reported that the main opposition party had claimed that 700 people were lost to the protests.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.