Prime Minister of Tanzania Mwigulu Nchemba says Independence Day celebrations have been cancelled, with funds for the event set to be spent on rebuilding infrastructure damaged in the recent election.
Nchemba’s announcement comes as the opposition and others have been calling for people to gather on December 9, which happens to be Independence Day, to demonstrate about the killings that took place after the recent election unrest in Tanzania.
According to multiple reports, the opposition believes hundreds of people died in the crackdown, but the government has still not provided a death toll, although a commission of inquiry has been set up.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan regained her place in office with 98% of the vote, which the opposition has deemed a “mockery of democracy”.
Samia’s key opponents were barred from contesting in the elections as Tundu Lissu has been in detention on treason charges, which he denies, while Luhaga Mpina’s candidacy was rejected due to technical reasons.
Since then, election observers reported signs that the votes had been tampered with and did not meet democratic standards.
For nearly a week, Samia’s government had imposed an internet blackout from the 29 October election day and threatened anyone sharing photos from the protests.
Heart-wrenching videos and images of dead Tanzanians have since been widely shared online, with international media confirming some of the graphic footage as real.
The government criticized the situation as troubling and said this was a strategy to tarnish the country’s image, adding that the nation is filled with safety.
The government spokesman, Gerson Msigwa, said on Sunday that the commission of inquiry would provide details on what happened.
However, groups have raised concerns over the independence of the commission.
According to the BBC, at least 240 people were charged with treason after the protests, but the president later sought to ease tension and asked prosecutors to “show leniency”. Some of those charged have reportedly already been released.
On Monday, Nchemba appealed to Tanzanians to avoid violence and insisted on how vital political dialogue is while announcing the cancellation of celebrations.
“I urge my fellow Tanzanians to come together and discuss the issues affecting us. Let us not return to what we went through, because the consequences are irreparable,” he stated.
