Tanzania
Week in Review: Rule of law under threat in Tanzania and Tunisia
François Sergent, JusticeInfo.net
Tanzania is one of the rare African countries known for being peaceful, democratic and multi-ethnic. Its revered former long-time president Julius Nyerere decided, unlike many of his counterparts, to withdraw from power in 1985. But since the election of President John Magufuli in late 2015, Tanzania is losing this positive image envied by its neighbours. “Murders and attempted murders of opponents, suspension of media deemed critical, disappearances of journalists, harassment of human rights activists and artists have reached an unprecedented level,” writes JusticeInfo. We point to the...
![Tanzania's legendary "tranquillity" under threat](https://images.justiceinfo.net/cache/k2/w220_h100_c/51916fe7d8061b18a1526a84c14fb7c9.jpg "Tanzania's legendary "tranquillity" under threat")
Tanzania's legendary "tranquillity" under threat
JusticeInfo.Net
Since President John Magufuli’s election in late 2015, Tanzania has been losing its reputation as a haven of “peace and tranquillity” previously envied by its neighbours. Murders and attempted murders of opponents, suspension of media deemed critical, disappearances of journalists, harassment of human rights activists and artists have reached an unprecedented level. Given this situation, the Tanzanian Catholic church, viewed as close to the regime, has recently crossed the Rubicon to denounce the excesses of the president. A few days later, some 100 local organizations launched a joint...
Freedom of opinion and expression under threat in Tanzania
JusticeInfo.Net
Is Tanzania still the “peaceful and stable country” that its residents and visitors say it is? Since the start of this year, more and more people, including from within the ranks of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution in Swahili) are denouncing attacks on people critical of President John Magufuli, elected at the end of 2015. The last straw was the abduction on the evening of April 5 in Dar es Salaam of a well-known rapper, famous for his lyrics criticizing the government. Singer Ibrahim Mussa and his three companions were taken by unidentified armed men, and only...
How a city in Tanzania holds the key to peace in Burundi
IRIN
At some stage, both sides in Burundi’s increasingly bloody political crisis are likely to be sitting across the table from one another in Arusha, Tanzania, looking to agree a political settlement. Arusha, a laidback cosmopolitan city in northern Tanzania, has been the traditional venue for negotiating some of East Africa’s most intractable conflicts. It was where the Burundian government and the opposition CNARED were supposed to be heading last week for talks mediated by the African Union and the East African Community, until the government pulled out its representatives on the grounds...
US “gravely alarmed” as Zanzibar elections cancelled
Ephrem Rugiririza, JusticeInfo.Net
Simmering electoral tension reached a peak Wednesday on the semi-autonomous Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar, following the vote on October 25. The Chairman of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced that he was cancelling the elections. The United States immediately called for him to reverse this decision. Although part of mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar has its own President, parliament, Constitution, flag and national anthem. It has seen recurring post-election violence in the past. “I, Jecha Salim Jecha, Chairman of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission, by virtue of the powers...