Police in Songwe have arrested Freeman Mbowe, the leader of the opposition party CHADEMA, along with other party leaders and supporters. The arrests followed a disagreement between CHADEMA and the police over a campaign rally that Mbowe was expected to hold in Mlowo, Songwe.

According to the police, CHADEMA leaders were not authorized to hold a rally in Mlolo. This led to a police intervention, which included firing tear gas at a crowd that had gathered to welcome Mbowe and his entourage.

“They were told to stop the rally, but they refused and continued to gather their supporters. Some threw stones, and some of our personnel were injured,” Songwe Regional Police Commander Augustino Senga told Mwananchi Digital in an interview.

Although CHADEMA did not have a scheduled rally in Mlowo, the opposition party ACT Wazalendo said that they had agreed to allow CHADEMA to use their time slot due to the visit of CHADEMA’s national leader.

“ACT Wazalendo was scheduled to hold a rally in Mlowo, but the CHADEMA leader was visiting. So, we had a meeting with CHADEMA officials, and they asked us to allow their leader to speak to his supporters from morning to afternoon when he arrives,” ACT Wazalendo’s Songwe official, Ezekia Zambi, told reporters shortly before his own arrest.

“ACT Wazalendo leaders even tried to stay so that we could hold our rally and also invite CHADEMA leaders to say one or two words, but it wasn’t accepted. What followed was violence that we cannot explain,” Zambi added.

In an official statement, CHADEMA reported that eleven people were arrested alongside Freeman Mbowe. Those arrested include Joseph Mbilinyi, CHADEMA’s Nyasa Zone Chairperson; Pascal Haonga, a former Member of Parliament; Apolinary Boniface, the party’s Communications Officer; Paul Boniface and Calvin Ndabila, Nyasa Zone Communications Personnel; activist Mdude Nyangali; and Mbowe’s bodyguards Khalfan Bwire Hassan, Adam Hassan Kasekwa, and Mohamed Abdilahi Ling’wenya. ACT Wazalendo’s Ezekia Zambi was also among those arrested.