Two opposition heads have been taken into custody by Tanzanian police on Monday in order to stop looming anti-government protests in Dar es Salaam.
Chairman of the main opposition party CHADEMA, Freeman Mbowe, was detained on the street while his deputy, Tundu Lissu, was picked up by the law enforcement institution from his home. The arrests were made in follow-up to the planned protest against the abductions and alleged killings of government critics.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has been accused by rights activists of targeting opposition leaders in the buildup of the coming local elections in December and the 2025 national elections.
Police state that it has arrested 14 people, including Mbowe and Lissu, who were picked up because they disobeyed an order that banned protests.
Although the government has yet to comment, it has formerly reiterated its commitment to non-violence and democracy.
Mbowe was picked up in the Magomeni area, according to a statement that CHADEMA posted on X, where he planned to lead a peaceful protest. The opposition leader was driven away by a convoy of 11 vehicles, with no indication of where he was being taken.
The two leaders, along with hundreds of supporters, were detained last month, although the detention did not last long. Lissu, who survived a 2016 assassination attempt, remains a vocal government critic. Another CHADEMA member was discovered dead earlier this month after he was abducted and tortured.