Tanzania protest: Police arrest Chadema opposition leaders Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu

Chadema had planned Monday’s demonstrations to protest against alleged recent killings and abductions of opposition officials in the country.

Last week, President Samia Suluhu Hassan advised against demonstrations and any related moves, noting that her administration would not tolerate any action that would endanger law and order.

Police declared the protests illegal, but the opposition had vowed to defy the ban.

Mbowe told journalists shortly before his arrest that “we’re paying the full price of democracy… as opposition leaders we have to show the way”.

Local news site The Citizen reported that journalists covering the protest were also being detained.

Early on Monday morning, police blocked access to the homes of the two Chadema leaders in Dar es Salaam and questioned people on whether they were attending the protest, the party said.

Since Saturday, riot police had been deployed on key roads in Dar es Salaam.

Last year, President Samia lifted a ban on opposition gatherings and pledged to restore competitive politics, but for some, the recent incidents suggest a reversal of the promise of greater political freedom.

Rights groups and critics are concerned that the president’s tactics are aimed at intimidating her political adversaries as the country nears local government elections this November and the general election in October 2025.