Africa-Press – Tanzania. Tanzania has cancelled the annual Independence Day celebrations slated for December 9 in the aftermath of post-election unrest in the region.
The decision was announced on Monday, November 24, by Tanzanian Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba, who revealed that President Samia Suluhu had instead directed that the funds meant for the celebrations be re-channelled towards correcting the economic slump which Tanzania has experienced over the past three weeks.
“The president has directed that on December 9, there will be no celebrations for Independence,” Nchemba stated.
“The responsible sectors, including the implementing agencies and the coordinator, must ensure that all the funds are properly allocated. The President has reiterated that all damaged infrastructure must be repaired.”
In the wake of the October 29 polls in the East African nation, protests rocked several major cities in Tanzania, with protestors engaging police in running battles, at times with fatal ramifications.
During the protests, irate youths set fire to and destroyed various public and private properties, including police stations and polling centres.
One of the most affected pieces of infrastructure was the Port of Dar es Salaam, a key regional trade hub, which experienced disruptions as several shipping lines were redirected to Mombasa.
The move to re-channel funds from celebrations to rebuilding the nation also appears to be motivated by the adverse economic impact that came from the unrest.
The internet blackout, for example, reportedly cost the country an estimated Ksh30 billion (USD 238 million) in a matter of hours, according to Netblocks.
Further, the informal economy, which is one of Tanzania’s backbones, hosting 80 per cent of the population, was also hard-hit since traders could hardly move due to security concerns.
In his address, Prime Minister Nchemba warned Tanzanians against resorting to unrest in the future, as he called on the opposition to embrace dialogue moving forward.
He added, “I want to ask you Tanzanians, let us move in the right direction. All political parties, let us move in unity and agree that such incidents should never happen again.”
Incidentally, the cancellation of the December 9 celebrations also came at the back of worrying calls on social media, which suggested there would be a ‘mother of all protests’ to disrupt celebrations.
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