Nurse attend to child who was wounded when a bomb exploded at the compound of a Catholic church at Olasiti in the outskirts of Arusha city in May last year. Three innocent Tanzanians died in the incident
Dar es Salaam. First, it was a Catholic Church that was hit before the bombers shifted their gun-sights to public rallies organised by Chadema—setting Arusha City, Tanzania’s tourist haven in panic mode. There was fear, chaos and blame game pitting the two major political parties, CCM and Chadema.
Nearly a year since the first terror-associated incident, Arusha was hit again by a bomber last week, but this time around, the target wasn’t a public rally or a church. It was an upper-middle class recreation centre.
But who is behind these series of bomb attacks in th Arusha city? When a Chadema public rally was attacked, the party traded grave accusations with the ruling CCM—with either party pointing an accusing finger at the other.
Some top Chadema leaders claimed the attack was a well-icoordinated attack aimed at scaring its supporters just few days before a crucial by-election. These allegations were vehemently denied by top CCM leaders.
Chadema officials claimed they had a video footage that showed clearly who executed the attacks, but till today, it is not clear whether the alleged video was handed over to the police.
In countering the Chadema allegations, some CCM leaders claimed that the opposition party was actually behind the terror attacks that rocked Arusha, but didn’t offer credible evidence to justify the accusations.
Now last week, a popular pub in Arusha was bombed, raising grave concern over who might be responsible for these cowardly attacks.
But the latest bomb blast targeting innocent civilians and business people in Arusha raises more questions over the ability by our security personnel to nail the supposed network of terror.
The attack, executed last Sunday night at the upmarket Arusha Night Park in which scores of people watching the English Premier League match on a giant screen were injured, some seriously, is a clear manifestation that there is a pattern to cause loss of lives and destroy properties, according to some security analysts.
Those who spoke to The Citizen argued that the choice of the location to attack is a clear indication that the perpetrators are out to create fear and despondence among the population. Those behind the attacks may also be desperately trying to create an atmosphere of instability to pave the way for commission of more serious atrocities.
Though the cause of explosion is yet to be established, local investigators in collaboration with the Interpol, are still pursuing those behind the senseless attacks. To date, the suspects are still at large, according to the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Issaya Mngulu.
However, questions linger over how the Tanzanian police are prepared to deal with the rise in bombings, including in those that took place recently in Zanzibar, resulting into the death of one person. The attacks are threatening peace that has been enjoyed for long in the country.
The Arusha bombing was not the first time that attckers targeted the tourist hub of the country. Last year, there were two bomb blasts in May and June. In May, a bomb exploded at a Catholic church in the Olasiti suburb, shortly before its inauguration, killing three people and injuring scores.
A motorbike taxi (bodaboda) operator, Mr Victor Ambrose Calist, 20, has since appeared in court to answer charges of murder and attempted murder.
In June, two people died on the spot, and several were injured, in the wake of a bomb blast at Kaloleni playground, the venue of a Chadema campaign meeting ahead of a civic by-election. However, questions remain over investigations as the law enforcers are yet to arrest the suspects.
According to Mr Mngulu, it is hard for his men to identify culprits due to lack of clues. “Without the help of volunteers, it is hard for the police to crack down any network of criminals because Tanzania has a very low number of law enforcers compared to the country’s population,” he said.
In Arusha, a single police officer provides service to 2,000 people, according to the police, but the fact that the attack is the third of its kind in the same region is a cause for worry. The UN recommended police-public ratio is 1:450.
On Tuesday, police in Arusha found another home-made bomb inside a local bar located at a busy bus station, amid growing fear of more bomb attacks. The intercepted bomb was hidden in a bag.
It is even more worrying when security officials have repeatedly failed to establish the cause of the attacks. The DCI told The Citizen that the police are treating the incidents as normal crime and that they were still conducting investigations to establish the motives. He disputed the assertions that the bombings were acts of terrorism.
The head of the regional defence and security committee, Mr Magesa Mulongo, said security officials were still doing inquiries to substantiate the cause of the incidents as well as arresting the culprits behind them.
“We are asking ourselves: why have they been repeatedly occurring in Arusha and not other regions?”queries Mr Mulongo who is also the Arusha regional commissioner.
The Arusha business community, is now asking security officials to urgently do what they can to end the spate of bombings before the perpetrators destroy the tourism capital.
Frequent reports on the attacks are already taking their toll on tourism and other business sectors in the region, according to stakeholders who spoke to The Citizen.
The director of Jackpot Tourist and Safaris, Mr Andrew Malarika said the bomb blasts posed a serious threat to the sector as they occur when many tourists are expected from June, according to a report from Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB).
“Although the recent bombing did not affect us that much, it is high time law enforcers introduced major changes in the way they conduct themselves and the tactics they apply in crime prevention,’’ he said.
Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato) executive officer, Sirile Akko, said the recent bombings communicated a serious message; he advised that something needed to be proactively done so as to clear dented image of the region that has started to be seen.
Ms Charity Githinji, who is the business development manager for the famous Kibo Palace Hotel said it was obvious the attacks had dire consequences to business because customers needed to be assured of security.
Her sentiments were echoed by Mr Walter Maeda, the director of Golden Rose Hotel who is asking law enforcers to take proactive measures to curb the attacks.
Although the DCI announced Sh10 million cash prize to anyone who volunteered information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of suspects of bomb blasts, police need to use more resources in studying and investigating suspects and find out whoever is giving them technical advice or paying for the terror activities.
This will give a clear direction on what should inform debate on new strategies to proactively counter terror incidents in Arusha and Tanzania in general.
SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
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