A delegation of U.S. House of Representatives members from the House Armed Services Committee met with the Tanzanian Minister of Defence Rhimo Nyansaho and Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo (MP), alongside a delegation from the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) led by the Chief of the TPDF, Jacob John Mkunda, together with the Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Salum Haji Othman.
In a press release on August 2, 2026, the Tanzanian Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the delegation met at the TPDF offices in Dar es Salaam on July 27, 2026.
The U.S. delegation was led by Ronny Jackson (TX 13), Chairman of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. Other members included Sara Jacobs (CA 51), Pat Harrigan (NC 10), Derrick Van Orden (WI 03), Morgan Luttrell (TX 08), Donald Norcross (NJ 01), and Dr. Herb Conaway, most of them from the House Armed Services Committee.
The talks covered priority areas in relations between Tanzania and the United States, particularly cooperation in trade, investment, defence, and security, as well as the state of peace and security in the East and Central African region.
The meeting comes a few months after the TPDF and the Nebraska National Guard formalized a State Partnership on March 12, 2026. The partnership is expected to strengthen cooperation between the two sides on military preparedness, modernization, and regional security.
The U.S. House representatives’ visit to Tanzania comes amid Tanzanian efforts to improve relations with the U.S. following Washington’s announcement in late 2025 of a review of its relations with Tanzania following election crisis. As part of these efforts, the Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, met with Dr. Ronny L. Jackson on December 17, 2025. Kombo also held a meeting with the U.S. Under Secretary of State, Allison Hooker, on January 17, 2026.
Speaking on July 1, 2026, Kombo said the discussions with Hooker had touched on a wide range of issues.
“There was no aspect that was left in our discussion, including the Nebraska agreement, which is also an important agreement, including the maritime patrolling for anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism, plus others. This shows how close we are despite any other issue that has been said; we are very, very close,” Kombo remarked about his meeting with Under Secretary Hooker.
During the recent House delegation’s visit, Tanzanian officials were reported to have advocated for the removal of visa restrictions placed on Tanzania, to facilitate people-to-people relations between the two countries.
