Tanzanian Church breaks silence on post-election violence

‘There are people who were killed in their home. They were hunted and killed inside their homes. That cannot be explained at all. That cannot be forgiven.’

Catholic leaders spoke out against the post-election violence that has blighted Tanzanian since late October.

Archbishop Jude Thaddeaus Ruwa’ichi of Dar es Salam condemned the government for killing protestors who had poured on the streets objecting to electoral irregularities, the arbitrary arrest of opposition party leaders and police harassment ahead of the poll on 29 October/

“There are people who were killed in their home. They were hunted and killed inside their homes. That does not portray the face of Tanzania at all. That cannot be explained at all. That cannot be forgiven,” said Archbishop Ruwa’ichi, the chairman of Justice and Peace Commission in the Tanzanian bishops’ conference.

He was speaking on Monday at a Mass in St Joseph’s Cathedral in the capital commemorating those killed in the violence.  There were similar Masses held in Mbeya, Musoma and Arusha.

On Sunday, Archbishop Gervars John Nyaisonga of Mbeya said many of the victims died of gunshots after the police fired at them. Some of them died while sheltering in their home. He said that many people who disappeared before and after the elections are still missing.

“We pray that they are found … if they are alive, let us rejoice. If they are dead, let us mourn and bury them with dignity,” said Archbishop Nyaisonga.

The government did not release its own figures for the dead, but human rights groups reported on 7 November that at least 3,000 people had been killed by security forces​, with thousands more still missing.

“Amid the ongoing coverup, facilitated by continued internet blackout and ​​bandwidth restrictions, this number could be thousands below the actual death toll,” said a statement from the group Jumuiya Ni Yetu (“Community is Ours”), a coalition of 40 African civil society organisations.

The group alleged that mass graves had been dug in major towns, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza, and that bodies taken to hospitals were being removed from morgues by security agents and buried or destroyed.

The government announced its intention to launch a reconciliation process to build peace, unity, and stability​. Archbishop Ruwa’ichi warned that justice is the only true foundation of peace, and there can be no peace without justice.

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