Members Of CHADEMA Are Released Following Arrests Connected To A Youth Event

According to both police and a party representative, hundreds of supporters and senior leaders of Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, were freed on Tuesday after being arrested in large numbers as a result of an illegal youth gathering in the southwest of the nation.

More than 500 CHADEMA supporters were taken into custody by the authorities on Sunday and Monday. Among them were Vice Chairman Tundu Lissu and Party Chairman Freeman Mbowe.

Human rights groups have denounced the detentions; Amnesty International claims that the detentions are meant to scare the opposition ahead of the national election that is scheduled for 2025 and the local government elections that are due for later this year.

The youth branch of CHADEMA planned to have a rally in the city of Mbeya on Monday, but the authorities forbade it because they were worried that it may “disturb the peace.”

“We will not allow a small number of criminals to undermine peace by emulating the unrest occurring in neighboring countries,” said Police Commissioner Awadh Haji late on Monday. This was probably a reference to the recent youth-led protests in Kenya that have sparked similar demonstrations in Nigeria and Uganda.