Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Friday, February 25, 2022.

Mohamed bin Zayed lauds TZ’s condemnation of Houthi attacks on UAE

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces on Thursday thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her government’s recent condemnation of Houthi attacks against the Emirates.

MBZ, as the Crown Prince is affectionately called, expressed his gratitude during a meeting with the Tanzanian leader at the Al Shati Palace where the two leaders discussed their friendship and opportunities for boosting cooperation in such areas as investment and others.

The UAE has been hit by several drones and missile attacks over the past few weeks amid an escalation of the conflict in Yemen, according to reports.

The Emirates is part of a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa, from the Yemeni government.

On January 21, 2022, during a phone call with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister Liberata Mulamula condemned the Houthi militia’s “terrorist attacks on civil areas and facilities in the UAE,” emphasising on Tanzania’s “solidarity with the UAE regarding this terrorist act.” 

President Samia is currently visiting the UAE and is expected to inaugurate the Tanzania Energy Symposium at Expo 2020 Dubai on Sunday. Taking place under the theme ‘Promoting Tanzania as East Africa’s Energy Hub,’ the symposium is hosted by the Ministry of Energy, it will bring together investors, financiers, and traders.

During the meeting, Samia stressed Tanzania’s willingness to strengthen its cooperation with the UAE in all vital areas like investments, the economy, commerce and sustainable development. 

She also lauded the development and humanitarian support provided by the UAE to Tanzania.

Govt, opposition parties react to Russia/Ukraine crisis

The government announced on Friday that no Tanzanian living in Ukraine has been harmed since Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine on Thursday, with opposition ACT-Wazalendo parties urging authorities to do more to ensure the safety of Tanzanians in the Eastern European country. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack under the pretext of “maintaining peace” in the Donbas area days after recognizing the independence of two separatist “republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk against the background of global condemnations coupled with sanctions from a number of Western countries.

As a result, Ukraine imposed a state of emergency and directed its citizens in Russia to leave immediately as Russia began evacuating its Kyiv embassy in the latest ominous signs of an all-out Russian military onslaught.

Tanzania “is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine,” foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Buhohela said in a statement while advising Tanzanian nationals on the ground to maintain communication with the Tanzania Embassy in Sweden which is also representing the country in Kyiv.

He also advised them to adhere to all instructions issued by the Ukrainian government to its citizens and non-citizens living in the country.

On February 22, 2022, the Tanzania Embassy in Stockholm issued a statement urging Tanzanian nationals in Ukraine who think it is necessary for them to stay in the country to leave, with parents with children studying in Ukraine who want them back to Tanzania should do so individually.

But a sectorial spokesperson for foreign affairs with ACT-Wazalendo Dahilia Majid Hassan said yesterday this was not an appropriate way for the government to respond to a security threat against its citizens.

She instead urged the government to make plans to evacuate Tanzanian nationals based in Ukraine at the moment, saying the government should not shirk from its responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens.

“Also, the government should issue a statement condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine as well as supporting the efforts by the international community that call for a ceasefire,” said Hassan in a statement. 

Over 200K of pits have been dug in TZ as part of an initiative to combat desertification

More than 200,000 pits have been dug in Tanzania as part of an initiative by a Dutch-Kenyan non-governmental organization Justdiggit to combat desertification in Tanzania, according to a statement by Afrik21, a website that publishes news on the environment and green economy in Africa.

Launched in 2013, and funded by international partners such as the German foundation The Food Family, the project aims to restore about 130 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. 

Justdiggit, which supports people in the fight against desertification, is convinced that these actions will ultimately increase pasture and arable land for people.

“Grass seeds are sown in ‘diguetids,’ Afrik21 quotes a member of the Justdiggit team as saying. “As they germinate, they bind the soil, preventing erosion and keeping it fresh. In this way, more greenery can take root in the surrounding soil.”

It is reported that in Tanzania, the effects of climate change, particularly prolonged droughts, have weakened pastoral activity in most regions in recent years.

According to Afrik21, a prolonged dry spell has caused the death of at least 62,000 animals, including cattle, sheep, and goats in Simanjiro in the Manyara region since the beginning of 2022.

The lack of water and grazing grass is thought to have exacerbated the situation, causing the displacement of many herders from this Tanzanian locality to neighbouring East African countries, such as Kenya.

“Digging semi-circular pits in the ground would be beneficial in case of rain,” the Justdiggit team believes. “Because in times of flood, water accumulates instead of evaporating quickly from the dried-out soil.”

Six killed by flooding rivers, dams within two months in northern Tanzania

Tanga regional police commander Safia Jongo told Xinhua news agency on Thursday that six people in the region have been killed after they were swept away by flooding rivers and drowned in dams between January 11 and February 23 this year.

She said that the six people were killed after they attempted to cross over flooded rivers or swam in overflowing dams.

“Ongoing heavy rains have flooded some of the rivers and dams posing a threat to residents in the areas,” Jongo told Xinhua when reached by telephone.

She said the victims included two children, two students, a farmer and a 64-year-old village chairman.

Jongo added that the deaths were reported in Korogwe, Handeni, Muheza and Kilindi districts.

She appealed to members of the public to stop attempting to cross over flooded rivers or to swim in flooded dams for their own safety.

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