Tanzania faces uproar for detaining critics of controversial UAE port deal

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Tanzania faces uproar for detaining critics of controversial UAE port deal

NAIROBI (KAAB TV) – Tanzanian authorities are condemned as they detain prominent individuals for speaking out against a controversial port deal between the country's president Samia Suluhu and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Tanzanian Parliament approved the disputed port deal on 10 June 2023. | Photo/courtesy.

NAIROBI (KAAB TV) – Tanzanian authorities are condemned as they detain prominent individuals for speaking out against a controversial port deal between the country's president Samia Suluhu and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Former parliamentarian and Tanzanian Ambassador to Sweden, Willibrod Slaa, lawyer and activist Boniface Mwabukusi, and political activist Mdude Nyagali were apprehended between August 12 and 13 for openly criticizing the UAE-Tanzania port agreement.

Amnesty International swiftly responded, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees. The UAE-Tanzania port agreement encompasses the development, management, and operation of Tanzania’s ports, special economic zones, logistics parks, trade corridors, and related infrastructure. However, local backlash and concerns regarding the agreement’s terms have prompted these outspoken critics.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, condemned the crackdown, stating, "The Tanzanian authorities’ crackdown on critics of the UAE port deal reveals their growing intolerance for dissent. The authorities must stop arbitrarily detaining activists simply for peacefully expressing their views and immediately and unconditionally release these activists to ensure the respect of the right to freedom of expression.”

Mwabukusi, who led a court petition against the port deal, argued that the agreement’s clauses violated Tanzania’s Constitution, potentially jeopardizing national sovereignty and security. Slaa, Mwabukusi, and Nyagali all expressed their concerns publicly.

The arrests have sparked alarm among international observers, with lawyers reporting that the detainees have been denied bail. Tanzanian authorities have suggested that the trio could face treason charges, a crime punishable by death in the country. Under section 148 of the Criminal Procedures Act, treason is classified as an unbailable offense.

The situation escalated further on August 11 when Camilius Wambura, Tanzania’s Inspector General of Police, announced that critics of the UAE-Tanzania port deal would be targeted for their "seditious” statements, which he claimed were akin to inciting public uprisings against the government.

Tanzania’s High Court in Mbeya dismissed a petition challenging the port agreement’s legality on August 10. The petition alleged that the agreement violated Tanzanian law due to inadequate public consultation and the potential relinquishment of management of national resources to a foreign entity. Despite the mounting controversy, Tanzania’s Parliament endorsed the port agreement on June 10.

This wave of arrests follows a series of detentions and releases of individuals who have voiced opposition to the port deal between June and August 2023. Rugemeleza Nshala, a lawyer, activist, and former President of the Tanganyika Law Society, fled the country in July after facing threats for criticizing the deal.

The arrests of Mwabukusi and Nyagali had occurred previously in mid-July, shortly after they held a press conference in Dar es Salaam condemning the UAE-Tanzania port agreement. As the controversy deepens and international pressure mounts, Tanzania remains under scrutiny for stifling dissent and suppressing criticism of the contentious port deal with the UAE.