Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday told envoys representing their country in Tanzania that she doesn’t need their instructions on how to run the country as the Head of State defended law enforcement authorities amidst safety concerns over growing alleged political kidnapping in the East African nation.
President Samia displayed apparent indignation towards the envoys’ decision to join Tanzanians in condemning the alleged murder of a senior opposition figure, Ali Mohamed Kibao, and related incidents, which the Head of State interpreted as meddling in the country’s internal affairs and amounted to issuing directives on how the country should be governed.
Sixteen countries, including members of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, issued statements on September 10, 2024, condemning the alleged murder of the senior CHADEMA official, calling for an immediate, thorough and independent investigation into it and other related incidents.
Mr Kibao’s body was found dead on September 8, 2024, in the Ununio neighbourhood of Dar es Salaam, almost two days after people alleged to be police officers stopped a bus in which he was travelling to Tanga and left with him. His death sparked public outrage as it happened when several other CHADEMA members and officials were missing in circumstances the party has described as “political kidnapping.”
Officiating a meeting of senior police officers in Moshi, Kilimanjaro, President Samia said that regardless of the motivations, the murder of the politician was “unacceptable” and demanded “an immediate investigation.” However, the Head of State also revealed that the reaction of the foreign envoys to the incident surprised her.
We know what to do
“That statement that directed us to do one, two, three [regarding Mr Kibao’s death], we as Tanzanians know what to do,” President Samia said.
“And I believe that the statement is not the directive of the Heads of States [and Governments] of the countries these envoys represent because I can check with my fellow presidents if they had issued that directive,” Samia added. “If it is not their directive, I’ll submit my complaints to my fellows, and they will know what to do afterwards.”
In her address, President Samia also warned against the planned September 23 demonstrations called for by CHADEMA to demand police accountability and the release of their allegedly abducted members and officials, including the party’s youth leader Deusdedith Soka, who’s been missing for almost a month now.
President Samia advised against such a move, noting that her administration would not tolerate any action that would endanger law and order in the country. The Head of State said she was aware of the ‘Samia Must Go’ campaign but said it wouldn’t succeed for she is not a “fish,” and her government cannot be removed that easily.
“Now, as commander-in-chief of the country, I’d like to emphasise that we have taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, and we shall do whatever is possible to protect the safety of Tanzanians’ lives because it’s our duty [to do so],” President Samia said in her address.
“In [carrying out] this duty, we need instructions from nobody because our Constitution makes it very clear on how to run our affairs [as a country],” she added emphatically. “And no one is as hurt by these incidents [of murder and abductions] as Tanzanians; we absolutely don’t condone them, and it pains us to see they happen; any type of death hurts Tanzanians. This is our blood as Tanzanians.”
President Samia said envoys representing their countries in Tanzania are free to share their empathies with the victims of violence such as murder, but they will need to do so in line with established international diplomatic protocols as laid down by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
Reconciliation
President Samia also spoke about the reconciliation agenda she launched immediately after coming to the office, boasting that it has successfully ensured national unity and cohesion. However, she warned that the agenda doesn’t mean Tanzania has suspended its laws or has allowed some misconduct to happen.
“We’ll never tolerate any behaviour that threatens to cause violence in the country,” she said. “Never. It is, therefore, very important for those threatening such violence not to forget the trials and tribulations they went through [during the previous administration].
“It is the very policy [of reconciliation] that allowed them to return to the country,” she added. “But if they’ve grown tails, the laws remain in the books. We shall deal with them.”
