Tanzanian cops are telling people to stay away from protests set for next week because they think the whole thing is basically a setup for chaos. Deputy Commissioner David Misime said police intelligence caught wind of sketchy online coordination that looks more like riot planning than peaceful demonstration organizing, and authorities are worried about attacks on hospitals, government workers, and critical infrastructure.
The warning comes after some wild stuff went down in late October that apparently left the country pretty shaken up. Misime said surveillance picked up messages encouraging people with weapons training to get ready, plus instructions for blocking roads, destroying cell towers, and shutting down businesses. Some online chatter even included threats about beheading protest participants, which is definitely not peaceful protest energy.
President Samia backed up the police stance by asking community elders to keep young people from getting pulled into violence. Authorities are basically saying the country needs to heal instead of diving back into more instability.
The warning comes after some wild stuff went down in late October that apparently left the country pretty shaken up. Misime said surveillance picked up messages encouraging people with weapons training to get ready, plus instructions for blocking roads, destroying cell towers, and shutting down businesses. Some online chatter even included threats about beheading protest participants, which is definitely not peaceful protest energy.
President Samia backed up the police stance by asking community elders to keep young people from getting pulled into violence. Authorities are basically saying the country needs to heal instead of diving back into more instability.
