President John Magufuli of Tanzania – no stranger to controversy where the COVID pandemic has been concerned – has made new and alarming statements about the coronavirus during a public appearance. Magufuli questioned the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, according to local media accounts of his remarks, and put…
Tanzania’s main opposition party has called on its affiliated MPs to avoid parliamentary meetings and committee work because of the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed several of its members. Party for Democracy and Development (Chadema) leader Freeman Mbowe, who has been sharply critical of President John Magufuli’s response…
Two reports on Tanzania, released separately by the Amnesty and Human Rights Watch NGOs, charge President John Magufuli’s government with stifling the free press, opposition politicians and NGOs. The reports follow several years of progressively harsher laws and penalties since Magufuli was elected in 2015. The country has seen routine…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has wrapped up its two-day summit in Dar es Salaam, with Tanzanian President John Magufuli taking leadership of the 16-nation body from outgoing chairman President Hage Geingob of Namibia. For now, the SADC will remain at 16 members because Burundi – hoping to join…
Amnesty International has joined the Committee to Protect Journalists and other advocacy groups in calling on the Tanzanian government to fully investigate what happened to missing freelance journalist Azory Gwanda – gone since November 2017, and now reported dead this week by the foreign minister. Palamagamba Kabudi told the BBC…
A leading English-language newspaper in Tanzania has been shut down for a week after a story on the country’s currency angered government officials, who accused The Citizen of publishing fake news. The Kiswahili site for The Citizen remained functional, with an explanation of what happened. “The closing of The Citizen…
The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on authorities in Tanzania to release two CPJ staffers they say were detained Wednesday night in Dar es Salaam. Angela Quintal, the CPJ coordinator for Africa, right, and colleague Muthoki Mumo went missing from their hotel room after officers who said they were…
President John Magufuli of Tanzania has ordered the arrest of a ferry captain who was not aboard when it capsized on Lake Victoria Thursday, killing at least 224 people. Magufuli, in a televised address, told Tanzanians that the captain of the MV Nyerere left an untrained pilot at the helm…
There are at least 40 survivors following a ferry accident in Tanzania, but authorities fear some 200 people may have died when the boat capsized on Lake Victoria about 2 p.m. Thursday. The MV Nyerere was headed from Bugolora on Ukerewe to Ukora Island when it sank, according to police…
Human rights advocates from countries as diverse as Benin, South Sudan and Malawi stood in solidarity with their Tanzanian counterparts on Thursday, in a letter sent to President John Magufuli calling for an end to repression. Some 65 people and organizations signed the letter condemning ongoing attacks against media outlets,…
Six political opposition leaders in Tanzania will appear in court Thursday following their arrest earlier this week on charges of sedition. Freeman Mbowe, head of the CHADEMA party, and five others also were charged with participating in an illegal demonstration in Kinondoni in February. The resulting clashes led to the…
Tanzania on Wednesday launched its new e-immigration system, designed to improve border security and migration at home while the new passports comply with international travel standards across the globe. “Tanzania is taking a leap forward in providing an electronic passport for our citizens,” said Anna Peter Makakala, Tanzania’s Commissioner General…
The future of Africa’s youth seems to be on everyone’s mind. Chad is playing host to the Pan African Youth Forum through Saturday, where 300 young people from 54 countries are engaged in a core discussion of how to take full advantage of the continent’s “demographic dividend.” Heads of state…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Tanzanians mourned on Friday the loss of eight police officers killed in the country’s coastal Kibiti region, where authorities vowed to stop recent killings they insist are not related to terrorism, but rather violent gangs of criminals. The officers died in an ambush late Thursday along the Dar es Salaam-Lindi…
Zanzibar’s economic growth is showing encouraging signs, with improvements in health and the transportation sectors – but some analysts say there is trouble brewing again in the self-governing region. “We are doing well so far economically, socially, and politically under President Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein,” said Mohamed Aboud Mohamed, during…