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- Feb 11, 2007
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Its negligence Saturday, 19 February 2011 07:13
The Citizen Reporters
Dar es Salaam. There are indications that professional negligence might have caused Wednesday nights powerful explosions at a military base on Dar es Salaams outskirts that killed at least 23 people.However, military experts told The Citizen on Saturday yesterday that the army could not escape liability for the blasts at Gongo la Mboto, saying munitions dumps had to be routinely inspected to ensure safety.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF) head of security, Brigadier General Paul Meela, speaking at a news conference at TPDF headquarters, conceded that negligence could be one of the causes of such disasters.
He warned, however, that it was too early to speculate on what might have caused the explosions, which levelled one of TPDFs largest munitions depots and caused extensive damage over a wide area. Even as journalists suggested several possible causes, Brig-Gen Meela insisted that it is too early to know what caused the explosions, and called for patience.
People who spoke to The Citizen on Saturday cautioned that the government would be further damaging its credibility if it picked a team to investigate the cause while it was obvious that poor military management was to blame.
A retired TPDF major general, who spoke to The Citizen on Saturday on condition of anonymity, said it was almost impossible for such an incident to happen given the stringent safety rules supposed to be enforced at munitions depots.
The former senior officer, who retired after serving the military for 36 years, dismissed claims of sabotage, saying those were mere rumours being circulated deliberately to cover up the negligence.
We have lost over 50 brothers and sisters in a period of less than two years the blasts hint at a crisis within the military. It is high time the Commander-in-Chief held a number of big shots in the ministry responsible for the explosions, he said.
It was almost impossible for munitions preserved in a military depot to explode without being mishandled, he said, adding that stored artillery shells could also not go off due to a sharp increase in temperature, as ha been suggested by some commentators.
He also dismissed reports that overheating in depots caused by power cuts was the cause of the incident, saying bombs are not stored in air-conditioned rooms or refrigerators.
The retired officer added: Something that is being hidden, and I wont be surprised to hear of another series of blasts very soon if we continue playing politics.
Another military expert commented: In my many years of service, I never heard of bombs exploding without being triggered by something I think we need to do something to establish the real cause of the blasts the sooner, the better.
He said the exploded weapons were part of a batch, which the military had asked for funds to destroy, adding that the go-ahead had been given for the low-tech bombs to be destroyed after being stored at the depot for over two decades.
But Brig Gen Meela said that an audit of the 23 depots at the Gongo la Mboto base was carried out only a few days ago, and the munitions found to be safe and secure.
Brig Gen Leonard Mndeme said he was part of the team that conducted an audit on Tuesday, a day before the explosions.
We had not even compiled our report when the blasts occurred. Our inspection followed one conducted internally, which showed that everything was in order, he said.
Yesterday, the TPDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Shimbo, said the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Davis Mwamunyange, had formed a task force to investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, The government will foot the funeral expenses of the people killed in Wednesdays explosions as well as pay for the treatment of the injured.
Announcing the resolutions of the National Security Committee, which met on Thursday night, President Jakaya Kikwete said the government would also compensate all those whose properties were either damaged or destroyed.
He also said families which had lost a relative or relatives and those who were injured would be given consolation money.
President Kikwete said Tanzania would appeal for help to manage arms stored in military depots located near residential areas.
We appeal to our friends to help us in the investigations and advise on how to maintain peace and handle weapons in munitions depots in the country, he said.
The meeting also directed the TPDF to conduct its own internal investigations as required by the National Security Act.
The NPSC has directed the Dar es Salaam regional disaster committee to make sure all people who had fled their homes were getting the necessary assistance.
Reported by Mkinga Mkinga and Florence Mugarula
The Citizen Reporters
Dar es Salaam. There are indications that professional negligence might have caused Wednesday nights powerful explosions at a military base on Dar es Salaams outskirts that killed at least 23 people.However, military experts told The Citizen on Saturday yesterday that the army could not escape liability for the blasts at Gongo la Mboto, saying munitions dumps had to be routinely inspected to ensure safety.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF) head of security, Brigadier General Paul Meela, speaking at a news conference at TPDF headquarters, conceded that negligence could be one of the causes of such disasters.
He warned, however, that it was too early to speculate on what might have caused the explosions, which levelled one of TPDFs largest munitions depots and caused extensive damage over a wide area. Even as journalists suggested several possible causes, Brig-Gen Meela insisted that it is too early to know what caused the explosions, and called for patience.
People who spoke to The Citizen on Saturday cautioned that the government would be further damaging its credibility if it picked a team to investigate the cause while it was obvious that poor military management was to blame.
A retired TPDF major general, who spoke to The Citizen on Saturday on condition of anonymity, said it was almost impossible for such an incident to happen given the stringent safety rules supposed to be enforced at munitions depots.
The former senior officer, who retired after serving the military for 36 years, dismissed claims of sabotage, saying those were mere rumours being circulated deliberately to cover up the negligence.
We have lost over 50 brothers and sisters in a period of less than two years the blasts hint at a crisis within the military. It is high time the Commander-in-Chief held a number of big shots in the ministry responsible for the explosions, he said.
It was almost impossible for munitions preserved in a military depot to explode without being mishandled, he said, adding that stored artillery shells could also not go off due to a sharp increase in temperature, as ha been suggested by some commentators.
He also dismissed reports that overheating in depots caused by power cuts was the cause of the incident, saying bombs are not stored in air-conditioned rooms or refrigerators.
The retired officer added: Something that is being hidden, and I wont be surprised to hear of another series of blasts very soon if we continue playing politics.
Another military expert commented: In my many years of service, I never heard of bombs exploding without being triggered by something I think we need to do something to establish the real cause of the blasts the sooner, the better.
He said the exploded weapons were part of a batch, which the military had asked for funds to destroy, adding that the go-ahead had been given for the low-tech bombs to be destroyed after being stored at the depot for over two decades.
But Brig Gen Meela said that an audit of the 23 depots at the Gongo la Mboto base was carried out only a few days ago, and the munitions found to be safe and secure.
Brig Gen Leonard Mndeme said he was part of the team that conducted an audit on Tuesday, a day before the explosions.
We had not even compiled our report when the blasts occurred. Our inspection followed one conducted internally, which showed that everything was in order, he said.
Yesterday, the TPDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Shimbo, said the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Davis Mwamunyange, had formed a task force to investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, The government will foot the funeral expenses of the people killed in Wednesdays explosions as well as pay for the treatment of the injured.
Announcing the resolutions of the National Security Committee, which met on Thursday night, President Jakaya Kikwete said the government would also compensate all those whose properties were either damaged or destroyed.
He also said families which had lost a relative or relatives and those who were injured would be given consolation money.
President Kikwete said Tanzania would appeal for help to manage arms stored in military depots located near residential areas.
We appeal to our friends to help us in the investigations and advise on how to maintain peace and handle weapons in munitions depots in the country, he said.
The meeting also directed the TPDF to conduct its own internal investigations as required by the National Security Act.
The NPSC has directed the Dar es Salaam regional disaster committee to make sure all people who had fled their homes were getting the necessary assistance.
Reported by Mkinga Mkinga and Florence Mugarula
