Tanzania: Death Toll in Kariakoo Building Collapse Rises to 20

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Tanzania: Death Toll in Kariakoo Building Collapse Rises to 20

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced that 20 people lost their lives in the Kariakoo building collapse as of Wednesday morning.

The Head of State, who was in Brasilia, Brazil, for the G20 Summit, landed in Dar es Salaam today and went directly to the site of the Kariakoo building collapse.

Speaking at the scene, President Samia expressed sorrow over the lives lost despite the rescue efforts.

“Despite the efforts made by the government and rescuers here and elsewhere, we have still lost some of our fellow citizens.

According to the information I received today, as of 9 a.m., we have lost 20 of our people. The government, in collaboration with the families, has ensured they are laid to rest with dignity,” she said.

On Tuesday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced an additional 24 hours to rescue people trapped in a collapsed building at Kariakoo in Dar es Salaam.

President Samia expressed optimism that, with divine intervention, some victims might still be found alive beyond this period, despite the standard 72-hour timeframe for rescue operations having elapsed.

“I understand that rescue operations are usually limited to 72 hours, but I firmly believe that God can perform miracles and enable us to save more of our people who are still trapped in the rubble,” she stated.

She added ; “I am instructing that the rescue operations must not stop. Extend the effort by an additional 24 hours to continue fighting for the lives of those who may still be alive.”

The rescue operations began immediately on Saturday when the building collapsed in the bustling business center.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Tanzania: President Orders Extra 24hrs to Save Trapped People in Kariakoo

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Tanzania: President Orders Extra 24hrs to Save Trapped People in Kariakoo

Brasilia — President Samia expressed optimism that, with divine intervention, some victims might still be found alive beyond this period, despite the standard 72-hour timeframe

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced an additional 24 hours to rescue people trapped in a collapsed building at Kariakoo in Dar es Salaam.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Presidential Communications, Ms Sharifa Nyanga, it was stated that the President gave the directive during a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa regarding the ongoing rescue operation.

President Samia expressed optimism that, with divine intervention, some victims might still be found alive beyond this period, despite the standard 72-hour timeframe for rescue operations having elapsed.

“I understand that rescue operations are usually limited to 72 hours, but I firmly believe that God can perform miracles and enable us to save more of our people who are still trapped in the rubble,” she stated.

She added ; “I am instructing that the rescue operations must not stop. Extend the effort by an additional 24 hours to continue fighting for the lives of those who may still be alive.”

The rescue operations began immediately on Saturday when the building collapsed in the bustling business center.

President Samia also extended her heartfelt gratitude to the rescue teams and citizens working tirelessly to save lives, acknowledging their exceptional patriotism and commitment.

“To all the rescue teams and citizens tirelessly working to save lives, I send my heartfelt gratitude. Please let them know that their efforts are deeply appreciated. They are heroes of our nation, and I encourage them to keep fighting for our people,” she said.

The President urged families and the nation to remain patient, united, and prayerful, supporting the rescue teams as they work to save lives.

As of Monday, 16 people had been confirmed dead, while 86 had been rescued.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Tanzania: PM Orders Search for Building Owner After Deadly Collapse

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Tanzania: PM Orders Search for Building Owner After Deadly Collapse

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has directed police to locate the owner of the building that collapsed last Friday (November 15th), resulting in the tragic loss of 16 lives. While 86 individuals were rescued, several others remain unaccounted for.

During a tribute ceremony for the victims at the Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam, Mr Majaliwa underscored the importance of identifying the owner to uncover the reasons behind this tragedy.

“The owner’s presence will aid the police in understanding the circumstances that led to the building’s collapse. Critical questions will be posed, and he will be expected to provide answers,” the Prime Minister stated.

Additionally, Mr Majaliwa announced that the government is in the final stages of investigating the cause of the collapse, with a detailed report expected soon.

In related news, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered a comprehensive inspection of all buildings in the Kariakoo area.

Speaking via video from Brazil, where she is attending the G20 Summit, President Samia instructed authorities to provide a detailed report on the structural integrity of the buildings in that area.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Tanzania: Emergency Crews Continue Rescue Ops in Deadly Dar es Salaam Building Collapse

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Tanzania: Emergency Crews Continue Rescue Ops in Deadly Dar es Salaam Building Collapse

Cape Town —

November 16 building collapse leaves 13 people dead

The four-story building collapsed at about 9am in the Kariakoo area of Dar es Salaam on November 16, and emergency teams are rescuing survivors, reports Crisis24.

At least 13 people were killed, with several others still trapped inside the building. It’s unclear how many people were injured, and the cause is still being investigated.

Crisis24 reports that: “Heightened security and localized transport and business disruptions will likely continue in the affected area into at least Nov. 19. Authorities will probably restrict access to nearby roads to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles. Officials may also mandate building evacuations in the vicinity as a precaution until clearance operations and investigations end.”

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Vandals target new Tanzania SGR infrastructure

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News

Tanzania is scrambling to stop vandalism of its new electric standard gauge railway (SGR) infrastructure after two incidents in recent weeks disrupted train services from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma.

The issue reached the floor of Parliament on Tuesday after legislators raised it as a matter of urgency to protect an asset that has lately become Tanzania’s selling point for regional trade.

The MPs demanded that the authorities, led by the Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC), install surveillance systems in addition to regular patrols and general regulation of the scrap metal business to prevent the railway from falling into the hands of thieves.

In the past month, at least three bridges have been vandalised as thieves made off with metal equipment for scrap. 

Following the incident, the newly introduced electric multiple unit (EMU) train, which began commercial service last week to boost traffic on the SGR line between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, was held up for hours.

Preliminary investigations showed that vandals had cut vital electrical infrastructure, although officials termed it as an act of economic sabotage.

Police said they were holding four suspects to be charged with vandalising government infrastructure. George Katabazi, the Dodoma regional police commander, said the suspects were found with cables belonging to TRC.

The incidents were reported in Msagati, Mpwapwa District, Dodoma Region, where suspects last week cut off and stole copper cables from three railway bridges. Police said they arrested suspects who were found with some of the material.

The vandalism reflects the booming scrap metal business in Tanzania.

Experts have said adequate protection of the railway and other vital transport infrastructure should include regulation of the scrap metal trade, as sellers are not often required to provide proof of origin of the scrap, especially since thieves dispose of the metals on the cheap.

A road engineer, Dr Sylvester Mukasa, told The EastAfrican that while the acts of vandalism were not limited to the SGR, they could affect it more because the thieves were targeting the key pillars of the infrastructure.

He said he had observed vandals also cutting metal on bridges along major roads and also tampering with electricity pylons belonging to Tanesco.

In Parliament, the Budget and Infrastructure Committee members described the vandalism as sabotage, with the committee’s chairman Selemani Kakoso calling on authorities to act fast.

Continue Reading

Peer Power – How Youth-Led Outreach Can Transform PrEP Access in Tanzania #HIVR4P2024

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News

Margareth Mwakilasa, an assistant research fellow at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania and a PhD student in Global Health at University College Dublin, presented her research findings at the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference (#HIVR4P2024) in Lima, Peru. Her study, titled “They are Not HIV Treatment Drugs; They are Preventive Drugs (PrEP): Experiences of Using PrEP Among Vulnerable Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Tanzania,” was part of the Oral Abstract session “Support Matters: You Are Not Alone!”

Mwakilasa’s research focused on the practical and social dynamics of PrEP uptake among adolescent girls and young women at high risk of HIV in Tanzania. Data collected over two years via interviews with 52 participants allowed for a deep dive into the barriers and facilitators impacting PrEP use in institutional settings. In an interview with AllAfrica’s Sethi Ncube, she discussed her research paper, which has been accepted for publication  in PLOS  ONE, a peer-reviewed journal by the Public Library of Science, with expected publication in November or December 2024.

In Tanzania, despite remarkable advances in HIV prevention, adolescent girls and young women at high risk still face significant barriers to accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is a proven intervention that, when taken consistently, can prevent HIV infection. However, as PrEP is currently reserved for key populations, its availability is only restricted to young women identified as high-risk, including those with repeated STI history, HIV-positive partners, or those engaged in transactional sex. This narrow access leaves many young women in the dark about this prevention tool.

Research and conversations with adolescent PrEP users in Tanzania revealed that although PrEP awareness is growing among those in the program, misinformation and logistical barriers are impeding widespread access.

“For these vulnerable adolescent girls and young women, the ones that I’ve had an opportunity to sit down and talk to, there are some who really know what PrEP is and how HIV can be prevented. They have that knowledge. But if you go to a general population right now, if you go to school and ask adolescents or go to a secondary school, I bet you a very small number will have an awareness of what PrEP is and how it works. Also, misconceptions about PrEP are not only within users…what is been discussed within the community is that PrEP is not an HIV prevention drug. Maybe it causes cancer or infertility…,” says Mwakilasa. This gap in awareness is often due to limited outreach, as young people typically learn about PrEP from friends rather than healthcare providers.

To bridge this knowledge gap, Mwakilasa’s study used creative recruitment methods, placing informational flyers and brochures at health facilities where eligible adolescent girls and young women return for PrEP refills. Partnering with peer navigators – trusted figures in the community trained to share accurate health information — has been a key strategy. For many adolescents, speaking with a peer about PrEP was more reassuring than speaking with a healthcare worker.

Empowering Youth in Healthcare

According to the study, long wait times and a shortage of healthcare providers affect many countries, but expanding peer-led support networks could help. By training more young peer educators, we can reduce the burden on healthcare providers and enhance the adolescent patient experience. These peer educators can handle routine support tasks during refill appointments, allowing nurses to focus on prescriptions and testing. Additionally, hiring more young healthcare professionals can create a more comfortable environment for adolescents, encouraging open discussions about sensitive topics like reproductive health and contraception. Expanding both peer and young provider roles can make healthcare spaces more welcoming and reduce stigma, empowering adolescents to seek the care they need.

Operational and Structural Barriers Impacting Consistency

According to Mwakilasa, once young women start on PrEP, keeping up with refills and appointments brings further challenges. Tanzanian clinics operate from 9 to 5, hours that overlap with young people’s own working hours or business activities essential for their livelihoods. Many adolescents miss their scheduled refill dates or forego PrEP entirely, as the transportation costs are too high for those living far from clinics. While some regions have started using mobile clinics to bring services closer to communities, this solution is limited to certain areas, and many adolescents are left unsupported.

“The PrEP delivery model varies from region to region, we have some donors who have peer navigators or healthcare providers, or have mobile cars to go on a community service delivery. These are only available in certain areas. I think there are some measures that need to be put into place to consider these issues that adolescents are raising, that they are a challenge for them to be able to access service.”

Privacy issues in health facilities further deter young women from seeking PrEP. With clinics often located in visible areas, adolescent girls and young women fear being spotted by neighbours and being judged or labeled as HIV-positive. Moreover, PrEP services are often housed within HIV treatment centers, spaces that carry a stigma adolescents and young women have grown up wary of. “Seeing someone I know in the clinic can be uncomfortable,” one participant said.

She said separating PrEP services from HIV treatment areas could create a youth-friendly environment that fosters confidence and comfort in accessing PrEP.

Navigating Misinformation and Enhancing Peer-Led Outreach

The young women Mwakilasa interviewed highlighted the need for education campaigns led by youth voices. Studies show adolescents are more likely to trust PrEP information delivered by their peers than by unfamiliar and older healthcare workers. Training peer educators with comprehensive PrEP knowledge and equipping them with informational materials could significantly boost outreach. Community-based PrEP programs could also offer practical solutions. Adolescents envision mobile units stationed in familiar spots, like community centers, where they can discreetly pick up refills without being in the public eye.

Community-based campaigns led by peer educators could clear up harmful misconceptions, and build awareness that PrEP is a safe, preventive tool, not treatment. PrEP delivery through community centers and partnerships with local leaders could also create safe spaces where young women feel comfortable seeking care.

Mwakilasa’s work highlights an urgent call for Tanzania’s healthcare system to enhance PrEP access for young women, stressing the importance of support networks and youth-centered spaces for HIV prevention.

Creating Stigma-Free Spaces for Adolescent Healthcare

True inclusivity in healthcare means designing spaces that respect the unique needs of every group served. In Tanzania, Care and Treatment Centers (CTCs) were originally built to provide HIV treatment. Still, as more services like PrEP prevention are integrated, the stigma around these centers can create barriers—especially for young people who don’t feel comfortable seeking preventive care in settings associated with HIV.

“I think from one of the recommendations of the study, adolescents said that they want even a separate room. Even if it’s hard to have a new building structure within the CDC, maybe they could just open another door, just facing the other direction, or a different room within the CTC or just one room within the healthcare facility that is for only PrEP preventive services,” said Mwakilasa.

allAfrica‘s Sethi Ncube attended the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, HIVR4P 2024, in Lima, Peru, reporting from the only global scientific conference focused on the challenging and fast-growing field of HIV prevention research.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Tanzania, AU Push Clean Cooking Agenda At COP29

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News

Tanzania and the African Union (AU) jointly hosted a high-level side event at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, aiming to place clean cooking at the forefront of the global climate agenda.

The event, titled “Addressing Clean Cooking Challenges in Africa: A Call for African Leadership,” aims to convene African leaders, policymakers, and international stakeholders to address the pressing need for clean cooking solutions across the continent, where 70 percent of the population still relies on traditional cooking methods.

The session underscored the importance of political commitment, innovative partnerships, and significant financial investment to advance sustainable, clean cooking technologies.

The African Union has prioritised clean cooking as a critical component of both climate action and sustainable development through its African Clean Cooking Programme (ACCP).

This initiative supports efforts to increase access to clean cooking solutions, reduce harmful emissions, and improve public health while driving technological innovation in cooking methods.

The ACCP aligns with the AU’s Agenda 2063, which envisions a prosperous, integrated, and sustainable Africa.

Tanzania has emerged as a leading advocate, highlighting gender-focused approaches to tackling energy and climate challenges. At COP28 in 2023, President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the Africa Women Clean Cooking Support Programme (AWCCSP), which aimed to raise awareness, foster partnerships, and mobilise financial resources for scaling clean cooking solutions.

Several African nations have prioritised clean cooking in their national energy policies. Ghana has recorded a 36 percent increase in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) adoption and reports that 30 percent of households use improved cookstoves, advancing energy efficiency in domestic cooking.

Kenya has similarly expanded access, with 2.4 million residents now using LPG for safer, affordable cooking.

Clean cooking solutions are integral to climate strategies, potentially reducing emissions by up to 1.5 gigatons by 2030. The transition supports Sustainable Development Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) and intersects with other goals, such as SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 13 (climate action).

During the event, the African Union Energy Commission (AFREC) will unveil a report titled “Sustainable Scaling: Meeting the Clean Cooking Challenge in Africa.”

The publication outlines pathways to scale clean cooking technologies, emphasising the need for innovative financing models and policy frameworks. It underscores public-private partnerships as crucial to unlocking investments necessary for achieving universal access to clean cooking by 2030.

The report calls for enhanced political commitment and coordination among African governments to integrate clean cooking into national energy and climate strategies, setting the stage for greater innovation and sustainable development.

The COP29 side event will serve as a platform for African nations to engage with international partners and the private sector, showcasing Africa’s leadership in addressing global climate challenges.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Big puzzle of Tanzania’s two sets of election rules

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News

Tanzania’s upcoming local government elections are eliciting curious questions on why the country has a different set of rules for the municipal polls, from those governing general elections.

The nationwide civic poll scheduled for November 27 is for chairpersons and council members at village, street and hamlet levels, while the general election slated for October 2025 involves filling the presidential, parliamentary and ward seats.

In Tanzania, the tradition has always been to hold the two exercises at least one year apart, regardless of expenses involved, with the Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Governments (Tamisemi) supervising the former and the electoral commission overseeing the latter.

A notably baffling aspect of this historic arrangement has been that each of these entities is allowed to apply its own set of rules for listing voters, vetting and approving candidates, supervising ballot box procedures, counting the votes right down to announcing the final tally.

The National Assembly sought to clear up this apparent confusion through a series of changes to the election laws that were endorsed in February this year, under pressure from reformist activists.

However, in practice, the contradictions have remained and are looming larger as the latest civic poll approaches.

Tanzania’s 1977 Constitution, which is still in use restricts the electoral commission’s responsibilities to supervising and coordinating all aspects of the presidential, parliamentary and ward councillor elections.

But it makes no mention of the lower grassroots elections, or who should be in charge of conducting them. Until February, this was covered by two separate pieces of legislation for local government district and urban authorities, which named Tamisemi as the main overseer of the local government elections.

These laws were repealed by the introduction of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Act of 2024, replacing the previous National Elections Act and re-establishing the commission under a new name — Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).

The new law also formally shifted the onus of managing the local government elections from Tamisemi to Inec. Under Section 10 (1) (c) of the new law, Inec’s functions will henceforth include “supervising and coordinating the conduct of local government elections in villages, mtaa and kitongoji subject to procedures to be prescribed in the law to be enacted by parliament.”

Mtaa and kitongoji in this sense mean residential groups of 10 to 12 neighbouring households. Clause 26 of the law’s miscellaneous provisions section also states that the commission will “make regulations and guidelines, and issue directives for effective implementation of its functions.”

But, since the new NEC Act came into force following President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s assent in March, no progress has been made in enacting the second law spelling out the “procedures” for INEC to conduct the neighbourhood election.

Both Chadema and ACT Wazalendo, Tanzania’s two main opposition parties, have expressed misgivings over the delay in tabling the law for parliamentary approval in time for this year’s poll, describing it as a ploy by the ruling CCM party to ensure it retains the upper hand in this election.

And on October 28, Tanzania’s High Court threw out a petition brought by three private citizens challenging Tamisemi’s continued supervision of the civic election despite the new law not giving it the mandate to fill the gap caused by the delay.

Judge David Ngunyale ruled that in the absence of the supporting law, local government elections oversight should remain unchanged from the previous legislation even though it had been repealed.

His ruling added fresh fuel to the long-standing debate on what type of impact Tamisemi and Inec’s overlapping roles have on ensuring the country’s entire elections processes move smoothly from grassroots to national levels.

An early sign of the kind of complications inherent in the present scenario was Tamisemi’s decision to sign up voters afresh for the upcoming civic ballot instead of using the Permanent National Voters Register that Inec began updating in July ahead of the general election next year.

The ministry, which operates directly under the President’s Office, last week published record voter registration figures of 31.28 million Tanzanians for the November 27 poll, with the numbers in at least five regions exceeding its own estimates based on Tanzania’s 2022 national census.

By contrast, Inec approximates its own registry update to yield an 18.7 percent increase in eligible voters from 29.75 million in 2020 to 34.7 million by 2025, after some names are removed for reasons such as death or renouncement of Tanzanian citizenship.

The electoral commission announced that it had purchased about 6,000 new, Android-programmed biometric voter registration (BVR) kits for the job, and also set up an online system for previously registered citizens to update their personal details themselves via computer or smartphone before visiting registration centres in person to obtain voter identification cards.

Tamisemi conducted its voters registration operation manually and on-the-spot, the results being delivered amid widespread claims of its registry books being padded with ineligible voters such as persons known to be dead and schoolchildren under the legal voting age of 18.

Tanzania’s 2022 national census figures indicated a total 61.4 million population across all demographics, including 28.6 million below the age of 16.

In the wake of the voter registration controversy, public attention in Tanzania has now switched to how the rest of the civic polls preparations will go, what will transpire on voting day, and the aftermath.

Continue Reading

Can Tanzania Bring East and Southern Africa Together On East DRC?

By:
On:
In: Tanzania Foreign Investment News

Tanzania’s geographical location and conflict mediation experience make it well placed to bridge the region’s various peace efforts.

Tanzania is a member of both the East and Southern African regional organisations currently trying to resolve the conflict in east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Although often regarded as affiliating more with the south, Tanzania could use its history of conflict mediation – and its geographical location – to align the two blocs’ priorities on the crisis.

After the DRC joined the East African Community (EAC) in 2022, the EAC-led Nairobi Process deployed the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) to east DRC. Tanzania participated in the Nairobi Process and helped finance it, but didn’t contribute troops. At the time, it had already sent soldiers and logistical support to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in Mozambique.

When the DRC declined to extend EACRF’s mandate due to its inability to rein in the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, SADC stepped in. It deployed the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) in December 2023, giving it an offensive mandate against the insurgents.

Tanzania, along with Malawi and South Africa, committed troops to the mission – reviving concerns that Tanzania aligned more with Southern than East Africa on regional matters. However, the country has stressed its commitment to both SADC and the EAC efforts in the DRC.

Tanzania has long been a pivotal actor in resolving conflicts in the Great Lakes region. It facilitated the Rwandan peace talks, which led to the Arusha Accords that preceded the 1994 genocide. It played a similar role in the Burundi peace process during the 2000s, contributing significantly to another set of agreements (also called the Arusha Accords).

Tanzania was also a leading supporter of Southern African nations during their liberation struggles, serving as a sanctuary and strategic base for key figures in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola and South Africa’s independence movements. Tanzania provided them with logistical support and moral backing, highlighting the country’s dedication to the cause of African unity.

However, despite these notable efforts, the perception that Tanzania gravitates more towards the south has grown. Can the country reconcile this view with its role in East Africa’s peace efforts? And can it use its membership of both SADC and the EAC to mediate their different approaches?

While both blocs seek to stabilise east DRC, SADC targets inter-state issues between the DRC and Rwanda, whereas the EAC’s Nairobi Process focuses on the broader conflict involving various armed groups. Although the approaches are complementary, regional organisations need to work together on a long-term solution to the conflict.

In August, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was appointed Chair of the SADC Troika on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. This position could enhance the country’s role in regional stability, creating a bridge between East and Southern African approaches in east DRC.

In July, Tanzania hosted a retreat of East African Community and foreign affairs ministers in Zanzibar to discuss regional integration and security, including the east DRC crisis. The meeting concluded that a political settlement was the most viable path to lasting peace and security in the region. It recommended convening an EAC heads of state summit to reinvigorate the Nairobi Process, working in tandem with the Luanda Process.

The Luanda Process – led by Angolan President João Lourenço on behalf of the African Union – recently held inter-ministerial dialogues between Rwanda and the DRC. Despite brokering several ceasefires and agreements, the initiative faces significant hurdles, and fighting between M23 and the Congolese army continues. While the Luanda Process works through bilateral mechanisms, a revitalised Nairobi Process could involve more countries.

Tanzania’s decision not to contribute troops to the EACRF was strategic. Foreign ministry officials told ISS Today that a diplomatic fallout with Rwanda in 2013 over proposed negotiations with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – a Hutu rebel group active in east DRC – informed its decision to remain neutral as DRC-Rwanda tensions grew.

This stance served Tanzania well, improving relations with Rwanda and safeguarding its broader geostrategic interests in the region. After entering the EAC in 2002, the DRC overtook Kenya and Uganda to become Tanzania’s leading export market.

Although SAMIDRC is struggling to show results in east DRC, its three troop-contributing countries were instrumental in the 2013 United Nations Force Intervention Brigade, which helped restore stability by defeating M23. Despite SAMIDRC’s chronic personnel, equipment and funding shortages, Tanzania remains committed to the mission and the importance of regional coalitions in addressing the crisis.

Tanzania’s decision to participate in the SADC mission reflects historical and geopolitical considerations. While acknowledging its long-standing ties and responsibilities within SADC, it’s also mindful of its EAC membership, navigating between its commitments in these two regions.

This dual involvement positions Tanzania as a bridge to harmonise the strategic interests of both EAC and SADC. And the EAC ministerial retreat in July underscored the country’s dedication to fostering this role.

Nicodemus Minde, Researcher, East Africa Peace and Security Governance, ISS Nairobi

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading