In Summary
Dar es Salaam. A number
of key questions need to be answered following two deadly grenade
attacks in Arusha in the last two months, according to various
commentators.
The main concern is on how safe Tanzanians are
when they exercise their right of assembly, worship and participation in
politics.
The first attack took place on May 5 when a
grenade was thrown into a crowd during the inauguration of the St Joseph
Parish in Olasiti. Three people died and more than 50 were injured. The
Vatican’s ambassador to Tanzania, Archbishop Francisco Montecillo
Padilla, and the head of Arusha archdiocese, Archbishop Josaphat Lebulu,
escaped unhurt.
The second grenade attack last Saturday at a political rally in Kaloleni area killed four people and wounded more than 70.
Dr Hellen Kijo-Bisimba, Executive Director of the
Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), told The Citizen that there were
queries whether the government is up to the task of protecting its
citizens and their properties.
“We’re not sure whether defence and security
organs have the capacity to prevent attacks such as those happening in
Arusha and investigate the incidents after they happen,” Dr Kijo-Bisimba
said, adding that security organs must identify the source of the problem and arrest those who have brought the nation into this situation.
Mr Bashiru Ally, a lecturer at the University of
Dar es Salaam, challenged the government to assure all Tanzanians of
their safety. “We need an explanation from the government on just how
safe people are. We need to know the source of the incessant chaos we
have been seeing for about five years now,” he said.
Mr Bashiru said despite the formation of various
probe teams to investigate such incidents, no reports had been made
public to shed light on who are behind the attacks and their intentions.
Another expert from the Open
University of Tanzania (OUT), Mr Emmanuel Mallya, said failure by state
machinery to capture those behind the attacks and bring them to justice
was eroding the public’s trust on security agencies.
“Security organs were by this time supposed to
have arrested those sponsoring this wave of terror attacks and expose
their intentions. This has not been done,” he said.
The coordinator of the Tanzania Human Rights
Defenders (THRD-Coalition), Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said he was wondering
whether the bomb attacks were a result of politically or religiously
driven agenda.
He said Tanzanians wanted to know who was behind
the attacks. Police spokesperson Advera Senso was not available for
comment as her mobile phone was not reachable.
