Tanzanian police have arrested prominent politician Tundu Lissu and four other opposition officials, the Chadema party has said.
It said three politicians, including Mr Lissu, were detained on Sunday in the south-western town of Mbeya, on the eve of their planned rally to mark the World Youth Day.
Chadema’s chairman and the head of its youth wing were arrested on Monday afternoon, the party said.
The reported arrests come a year after President Samia Hassan lifted a ban on opposition gatherings and promised to restore competitive politics.
On Sunday the police banned the Chadema rally saying it was intended to cause violence.
They cited the party’s rallying call for people to come together like the “youth in Kenya” – apparently referring to the weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations in the neighbouring East African country.
Chadema told the BBC that it did not know where its three detained leaders were being held.
Party chairman Freeman Mbowe demanded in a post on X “the immediate, unconditional release of our leaders, members, and supporters arrested across the country”.
Then on Monday afternoon, the party said that Mr Mbowe had himself been arrested.
Police detained him after he arrived in Mbeya to bail out Mr Lissu and the two officials arrested alongside him.
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Mr Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 after being shot 16 times, returned to Tanzania last year after two years in exile in Belgium.
He returned after President Samia lifted a ban on political rallies imposed by former President John Magufuli in 2016.
The ban had prohibited political parties from
Tanzania opposition figure lawyer Tundu Lissu arrested in crackdown
