Tanzania: State Out to Tame Abduction, Hoax News

Tanzania: State Out to Tame Abduction, Hoax News

The government has issued its stance to tame ongoing wave of children kidnappings and contain the spread of unverified information through social media, causing tension among the general public.

Recently, there have been various incidents of crime reported in the media and spread through the social networks regarding various allegations of criminal activities involving disappearance and kidnapping of children.

These reports have shown some of these children being subjected to cruel acts, leading to their deaths.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam, on Sunday the Minister for Home Affairs, Engineer Hamad Masauni, assured the citizens that the government will continue to take action against those found to be involved in any way, in these criminal incidents and those spreading misinformation through the social media.

“The government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan leadership does not condone any acts of crime being perpetrated against our children, because not only are these acts evil, but they also go completely against the culture of our nation, known for its humanity, civility, peace and tranquility,” said Eng Masauni.

He said that there are a few examples of some of the actions taken against those found to be involved in such crimes, including an event on July 25th this year, when the Police Force reported that two children had gone missing and after investigation, it was revealed that the children had been taken by their biological father and were in Kenya.

Another incident is the case reported at the Oyster Bay Police Station in Dar es Salaam, regarding the disappearance of a child on July 12th this year.

After Police investigation, the child was found in Mikumi, Morogoro Region, where he had been taken from school by a domestic worker who had previously worked for the child’s family.

Eng Masauni said that the Police Force is continuing with investigations into all those involved in such criminal acts and will take swift legal action against anyone found to be involved in such crimes.

He also stated that the Police Force will take action against those found to be involved in disseminating false information regarding crimes, such as disappearances and kidnappings of children, causing tensions and fear among members of the public.

He stated that, “It should be remembered that spreading false, unverified and unsubstantiated information is a legal offence and if discovered, legal action will be taken against you.”

He pointing out that the government has come up with strategies to mitigate the incidents. Eng Masauni stated that the government, through the Police Forces in collaboration with other ministries and security organs, are prepared to implement those strategies to control these incidents.

He pointed out that among the strategy the government came out with, includes increasing public education on providing good care and protection for children.

ALSO READ: Samia saddened by toddler killing, Police arrest four

“In this regard, we will reinforce the efforts of the Community Policing nationwide and also work closely with the Ministry of State President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government, the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Children and People with Disabilities, the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs, and special education to reach and educate the public more easily,” said Eng Masauni.

Additionally, he said that the Police Force will enhance regular patrols and prioritise actionable intelligence from law-abiding citizens, including speeding up the response when such incidents are reported to the force.

Furthermore, he added that the government will ensure expedited investigations into all cases involving suspects, who are found to be involved in crimes against children so that stringent legal measures can be taken promptly.

Eng Masauni urged citizens to cooperate with the government, especially the police force, by providing information that will help in apprehending all suspects involved in criminal activities in the country.

Source: allafrica.com

Original Media Source

Share this news

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

This Year's Most Read News Stories

Africa: Rwanda Gets a Grip Of Marburg, But Mpox ‘Not Yet Under Control’
Top News
Chief Editor

Africa: Rwanda Gets a Grip Of Marburg, But Mpox ‘Not Yet Under Control’

Africa: Rwanda Gets a Grip Of Marburg, But Mpox ‘Not Yet Under Control’

Monrovia — The Rwanda Minister of State responsible for Health, Dr. Yvan Butera, cautioned that while the country is beginning to see positive signals in its fight against the Marburg virus, the outbreak is “not yet over”. He, however, expressed hope that  “we are headed in that direction”. The minister said the epidemiology trend, since the disease was first discovered in the country more than a month ago, is moving towards fewer cases.

Dr. Butera, who was giving updates during an online briefing yesterday, said in the past two weeks, only two deaths were recorded while 14 people recovered from the disease. He said Rwanda was expanding its testing capacity with 16,000 people already inoculated against the disease.

The priority right now, Butera said, is “rapid testing and detection”.

Marburg is a highly virulent disease transmitted through human-to-human contact or contact with an infected animal. The fatality rate of cases, which has varied over the period, is more than 50%, according to the World Health Organization.  WHO said the highest number of new confirmed cases in Rwanda were reported in the first two weeks of the outbreak. There’s been a “sharp decline” in the last few weeks, with the country now tackling over 60 cases.

At Thursday’s briefing, a senior official of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, said mpox – the other infectious disease outbreak that countries in the region are fighting – was been reported in 19 countries, with Mauritius being the latest country to confirm a case. He said although no new cases have been recorded in recent weeks in several countries where outbreaks occurred previously –  including Cameroon, South Africa, Guinea, and Gabon – Uganda confirmed its first Mpox death. This, he said, is one of two fatalities reported outside Central Africa.

Dr. Ngashi revealed that there was an increase in cases in Liberia and Uganda. He said mpox cases were still on an upward trend.

“The situation is not yet under control.”

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Chief Editor

Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak

Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak

Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.

The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.

In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.

Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.

“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”

Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.

Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.

In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading