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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 countrys 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 countrys 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. Lets 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 Tanzanias nascent democratic growth and protection of press freedom and human rights.
