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Heavy police deployments in the capitals of Kenya and Tanzania suppressed planned protests on Tuesday, with July 7 a significant date for the East African neighbors.
In Kenya, the day commemorates the 1990s struggle for multiparty democracy. In Tanzania, it marks the founding of what would become the ruling party 72 years ago.
Tanzania’s protests were meant to call for democratic reforms following the disputed October election and to demand the release of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is jailed on treason charges.
In Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, police and military personnel were deployed and no protesters were seen. An annual trade fair continued under heavy protection.
Speaking to journalists on Monday evening, Tanzania’s Home Affairs Minister, Patrobas Katambi, said Tanzania was not a country where people could dictate protest dates. He added that the country was prepared to defend itself against any threat to public order.
Analysts say the government has remained on high alert since the October election and ensuing protests and crackdown that saw the deaths of hundreds of people.
Analyst Wade Green with Aldebaran Threat Consultants said protesters in Tanzania would have to “catch the security forces off-guard because their guard is so up right now.”
He added: “Unless the protesters were really strong and organized, there would be no way to overcome the lethality that the Tanzanian security forces unleashed last year and are willing to unleash again.”
A few people were arrested as police in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, cordoned off parliament buildings with barbed wire and blocked major roads. Businesses were closed.
Kenyan opposition politician James Orengo described the police presence in Nairobi as an effort to scare citizens.
“These are the characteristics of a police state. You find police deployed even when there is no fracas, there is no march, there is no demonstration, there are no vehicles on the road, and even holding a press conference becomes difficult, but we are undeterred,” he said.
