Leaders of Tanzania's main opposition party, Chadema, including its top leader Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu, have been released on bail after being detained before a youth gathering. About 520 people were arrested across the country during protests aimed at stopping Chadema from holding a meeting in Mbeya, a city in southwestern Tanzania, on Monday.

Police said that some of those detained were still in custody because they could not pay the required bail. This situation has raised concerns that Tanzania might be reverting to the strict rule seen under the late President John Magufuli, despite current President Samia Hassan having previously removed a law that banned opposition gatherings.

Chadema had planned a large youth gathering with the theme

However, police canceled the meeting, claiming it was a threat to security. On Tuesday, Chadema reported on their X (formerly Twitter) page that their office in Mbeya was surrounded by police, who were not allowing people to enter.

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Chadema spokesman John Mrema confirmed that while most party officials, including Mbowe and Lissu, had been released, many others were still in prison.

However, the police stated that all senior Chadema officials who had been detained were released after questioning.

Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 when he was shot 16 times, had returned to Tanzania in 2023 after spending two years in exile in Belgium. President Samia, who took office in 2021 after Magufuli's unexpected death, was initially praised for reversing many of her predecessor's policies.

However, following these recent arrests, some opposition figures have criticized her, questioning her commitment to political unity as the country heads toward presidential and parliamentary elections next year.