Ambassador Filiberto Sebregondi, Head of the Delegation of the EU to East Africa
Posted Saturday, June 22 2013 at 08:46
In Summary
The head of the EU Delegation to East Africa, Mr
Filiberto Sebregondi, warned yesterday that growing acts of violence and
failure by authorities to take tangible action against perpetrators
could jeorpardise the country’s high standing among members of the
international community.
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzanian
government should arrest and prosecute those behind two bomb attacks in
Arusha and other serious acts of insecurity in the recent past, the
European Union (EU) says.
The head of the EU Delegation to East Africa, Mr
Filiberto Sebregondi, warned yesterday that growing acts of violence and
failure by authorities to take tangible action against perpetrators
could jeorpardise the country’s high standing among members of the
international community.
“Bomb attacks which occurred in Arusha on May 5
and on June 15 are very worrisome developments....for a traditionally
stable, tolerant and peaceful country such as Tanzania, this is a
serious setback,” said Mr Sebregondi.
He said perpetrators of such violent incidents
should be identified and prosecuted, so that impunity does not encourage
them to continue, he said in an email to The Citizen on Saturday.
“It is unfortunate that a sequence of violence has
not seen conclusive investigations and judicial processes. From the
beating of Dr Stephen Ulimboka and of Absalom Kibanda, to the attack and
killing of religious leaders, to the last two bombings, clear
investigation results and prosecutions would have had a strong deterrent
effect on new forms of violence and would help ending impunity,” he
said.
He explained that some international partners were
supporting the Tanzania police in parts of the investigations that
could prove useful in ascertaining the truth, he noted. He did not
specify but the government invited FBI to pursue killers of Catholic priest Evaristus Mushi in Zanzibar for which a suspect has been arraigned.
“We know that the police and other security agencies are working hard to find the culprits, so it is our hope that soon some light would be shed on these incidents.”
In his email, largely mirroring on the Arusha
incidents, Ambassador Sebregondi called for political tolerance and
urged all peace loving citizens to help authorities come to the bottom
of the matter. “We call upon all stakeholders to exercise restraint and
to put everything in place to preserve and promote an environment of
peace, security and tolerance. This is essential to further the
development of the democratic process in Tanzania.”
According to the EU, the bombs and other forms of
violence, if not halted, do not bode well for the country gearing up for
a Constitutional referrendum of 2014 and of the General Election of
2015. “It is the interest of all Tanzanians to protect peace and the free
exercise of democratic rights by everybody,” he said while urging those
with information to volunteer it to police. He cautioned that without
the comfort of successful investigations, it would be difficult to draw
conclusions whether the acts of violence being witnessed was due to
claims that some politicians were manipulating religion or geography, to
gain political strength through chaos or suspicions of terroristic
groups.
It will be suicidal for the country, he cautioned,
if individuals out of selfish political motives are allowed to fuel
conflicts by deliberately exasperating religious or political
differences. “Tanzania has always benefitted from its stability and
peaceful environment.... I do not believe that any serious person would
like to see these diminish just to gain personal advantage or power in
the short run.”
He said Arusha and Zanzibar were mostly affected
by the growing violence and religious intolerance with a capacity to
tarnish the image of Tanzania as a peaceful country and a touristic
destination. “This might have very negative consequences in the future.”
“Tanzania is giving a good example with its
Constitutional review process; it is laying down the foundations for a
new, more progressive and modern social contract among its citizens.
Let’s not damage such an inspirational process by blurring the start of the second half century of independence with blood and intolerance,” he cautioned.
The EU pledged support to the government, civil society, media and other non-state actors such as religious leaders to promote dialogue and peaceful means to solve challenges facing Tanzania’s nascent democratic growth and protection of press freedom and human rights.
The EU pledged support to the government, civil society, media and other non-state actors such as religious leaders to promote dialogue and peaceful means to solve challenges facing Tanzania’s nascent democratic growth and protection of press freedom and human rights.
