The moral crusade hits the gays hard

Few information is published on the homosexual hunt in Tanzania. The last known incident of the public took place at a wedding last weekend. On the beaches of the island of Zanzibar, they usually take place safely. But when it turned out that it was two spouses, someone warned the police. Ten people were arrested during the invasion, Amnesty International's human rights organization reported on Wednesday. In the country, homosexuals can be sentenced to 30 years in prison. Six other participants managed to escape.

This incident is exactly what Paul Makonda, governor of Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania, had in mind when he announced the homosexual hunt last week. "Give me their names and we will pursue gay men," he said. In the pictures you can see how he calls people to go into action. He would have received more than five thousand messages. Sometimes people were tied because they were walking in a certain way, he said. "But it can also be a style," he told Tanzanian viewers. In more serious cases, this concerns parents who indicate their own children.

Such a thing is unique in homophobic Tanzania. Many homosexuals have not dared to go outside since last week, for fear of being attacked and arrested in the street. On Monday alone, the Tanzanian government has moved away from Makonda's statements.

Magufuli's Conservative Way

Tanzania has been under pressure for some time because of its human rights violations, linked to the conservative line of President John Magufuli Pombe. Last year, he compared homosexuals to cows. Dutch diplomat Roeland van de Geer left the country Friday to care about human rights. He was the Dutch envoy of the European Union. Local media reported Friday that the government of this East African country had asked Van de Geer to leave. Another reading indicates that he was recalled by his employer for consultation.

In 2015, while President Magufuli was still at the beginning of his reign, he had obtained nearly one hundred percent of opinion polls. Tanzanians wore him and many neighboring countries considered him a fighter of corruption and maladministration.

Magufuli has taken drastic action over the last three years, not resembling the policies of all his predecessors. He strongly challenged foreign mining companies operating under unfavorable conditions for Tanzania in the country. Barrick Gold has sold millions of dollars more to the state.

Under Magufuli, however, Tanzania also made a significant change to an authoritarian state. The country has always been a figurehead of stability for the region, led by a party full of intellectuals and a moderate socialist ideology. Under the country's first president, Julius Nyerere, the coastal city of Dar es Salaam was the hotspot for liberation movements in southern African countries ruled by white racists. Nyerere introduced the multi-party system even before activists from other countries forcefully apply this multifaceted model.

However, the arrogance of power had also struck the Revolutionary Party (CCM). After Nyerere's death in 1999, corrupt cartels took control of the government party. The feeling among Tanzanians in the 2015 elections was therefore to vote against the CCM for mismanagement. Until the ruling party emerges, the unknown Magufuli promised deep reforms. With the victory of Magufuli, Tanzania breaks the trend in other countries where entrenched government parties have been swept away by opposition parties, as in Kenya and Zambia.

In addition to his decisive measures, the dictatorial traits of Magufuli are becoming more and more visible. After the government intimidated Tunu Lissu, this influential politician was shot in his car. After criticizing the president, other politicians went to the bars and many independent media and artists were attacked. Citizen groups, judges and churches also hear when they speak out against the authoritarian president.

He explains to the people his right-wing ideas about social behavior. He ordered the immediate withdrawal of the school's pregnant pupils: those who left their friends did not get shot at. In the climate of moral crusade, homosexuals have also been recently attacked.

In a recent opinion poll, only half of Tanzanians were able to support Magufuli.