TANZANIA’S political climate is again under the spotlight following the arrest of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, just months before the country heads to general elections. Lissu, a high-profile critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was detained on Wednesday in Mbinga, southern Tanzania, after addressing a rally under the opposition Chadema party’s banner, ‘No Reforms, No Election’.
According to Chadema officials, police used teargas to disperse the crowd, and several senior party members were also taken into custody. The rally was part of a wider push for electoral reforms aimed at ensuring transparency and fairness in the upcoming vote.
Crackdown raises alarms ahead of elections
‘The arrest of our deputy chairman is a clear attempt to silence opposition voices ahead of the polls,’ said Brenda Rupia, Chadema’s director of communications. ‘We are being targeted, harassed and brutalised simply for exercising our constitutional rights.’
Lissu, a former presidential candidate and seasoned human rights lawyer, has survived political violence before. In 2017, he narrowly escaped death in an assassination attempt, which left him with serious injuries. Since his return from exile, he has been vocal about the need for electoral reforms and democratic accountability.
Pattern of intimidation
The arrest is not an isolated case. In recent months, Chadema officials have faced escalating violence. In October 2024, Aisha Machano, a senior party figure, was abducted and seriously injured. A month earlier, regional leader Ali Kibao was kidnapped and later found murdered. These incidents, opposition figures claim, form part of a coordinated campaign to dismantle democratic opposition in Tanzania.
President Samia, who came to power in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, initially signalled a more open political approach. She lifted bans on political rallies and allowed exiled figures like Lissu to return home. However, that optimism has waned.
Human rights groups and civil society organisations have begun to draw comparisons with the Magufuli era, noting a return to arrests, surveillance, and repression of dissent.
No official explanation from police
Authorities have not offered an official reason for Lissu’s arrest. Repeated efforts by local media to obtain comments from police officials in the Ruvuma Region have been unsuccessful.
Opposition leaders and civic groups argue that the government is backsliding on democratic reforms. Without changes to the electoral framework and guarantees of political freedom, they warn that the credibility of the 2025 general election is at serious risk.
‘Democracy is under siege,’ said Rupia. ‘The people of Tanzania deserve better than this.’
As the international community turns its focus to Tanzania’s upcoming polls, pressure is mounting for authorities to recommit to the principles of political freedom, accountability, and free expression.
