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Tanzania said that a plan to hunt down and arrest suspected homosexuals in the country's economic capital was not an official policy, standing out from a repression on the scale of the city repressed by rights groups.
The powerful governor of Dar es Salaam, Paul Makonda, urged citizens last Monday to start denouncing homosexuals in raids in a country where anti-gay rhetoric has exploded in recent years.
"The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania wishes to point out that it is personal (Makonda) views and not the government's position," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. release released Sunday evening.
He added that the government "will continue to respect all the international conventions on human rights to which it has subscribed".
Fervent Christian and faithful ally of President John Magufuli, Makonda had declared that homosexual behavior "trampled the moral values of Tanzanians and our two Christian and Muslim religions".
His remarks sparked strong criticism, including from Amnesty International and the United Nations.
Under British colonial law, homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania and homosexual acts committed by men are punishable by life imprisonment.
The anti-gay sentiment has increased since Magufuli's election in 2015, forcing most gay, lesbian and other sexual minorities to live in secrecy.
Last year, the president said that everyone should condemn homosexuality, "even cows," and soon after his government threatened to arrest or deport gay rights activists. .
Three South Africans were subsequently expelled for pleading for same-sex marriage.
AIDS clinics were also closed under Magufuli, accused of "promoting" homosexuality, while he encouraged women to abandon birth control and to have more babies.
On Saturday, the European Union said it had recalled its chief representative to Brussels for discussion, following reports that the government had asked him to leave.
The anti-gay sentiment has risen since the 2015 election of President John Magufuli, who said everyone should condemn homosexuality
