Tanzania’s prime minister has urged people to stay at home on Tuesday during the nation’s independence celebration, when activists have called for protests against the violent suppression of anti-government demonstrations around the October presidential elections.
The United Nations has said hundreds of people were likely killed in the protests, which were fueled by the exclusion of leading opposition candidates from the election in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with nearly 98% of votes.
After calls circulated last month on social media for protests on December 9, the day mainland Tanzania won its independence from Britain, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba announced there would be no official celebrations this year.
Speaking on Monday in a video posted on the government information centre’s X account, he urged people to stay home, without directly referring to the expected protests.
“The government advises all citizens who will not have an emergency on December 9 to use the day for rest and celebrate it at home, except for those whose work duties require them to be at their work stations,” he said.
The police said on Friday that any demonstration would be illegal since authorities had not received any formal notification from organisers.
President Hassan has appointed a commission to investigate election-related violence but has repeatedly denied that security forces acted improperly and accused protesters of seeking to overthrow the government.
