By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The U.S State Department on Thursday announced that Washington is reviewing its relationship with Tanzania, arising from concerns over religious freedom, free speech, obstacles to U.S. investment in the East African country and violence against civilians.
After deadly demonstrations that characterised presidential election last month, the U.S. issued security alerts for its citizens living in Tanzania.
Rights groups, opposition parties and the United Nations have estimated that hundreds of people may have been killed in the clashes, figures which the government claims were exaggerated.
But despite the widespread condemnation of the poll in which most of the opposition figures were either disqualified or detained, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has insisted that the election was fair and promised to probe the violence seen as the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.
According to the State Department, the U.S. was conducting a comprehensive review after recent actions by the government raised grave concerns about the bilateral relationship and the reliability of Tanzania as a partner.
“The government of Tanzania’s ongoing repression of religious freedom and free speech, the presence of persistent obstacles to U.S. investment, and disturbing violence against civilians in the days leading up to and following Tanzania’s October 29 elections, required this reconsideration of our ties,” the department said in a statement.
The department says those actions put Americans at risk in the country.
In a separate statement, U.N. human rights experts said they had also taken note of reports that human remains of those killed in the election clashes were being buried in unidentified mass graves or incinerated after disappearing from mortuaries.
“The Government must provide information on the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons and ensure the identification and dignified return of the remains to their families,” the experts said.
In response to the U.N. experts’ statement, Tanzanian government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa said many reports circulating in the media and on social platforms lack verified evidence.
“It is therefore important that we allow the investigation team to complete its work so that we can rely on accurate information and confirmed figures,” he said.
President Hassan had raised concern that the post-election violence could affect relations between Tanzania and its foreign partners, as well as its ability to secure loan facility.
