'You won’t destabilise my country'- President Suluhu tells Kenyan activists
Suluhu said there is a growing trend of activists from the region trying to meddle in the country’s issues.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu has told Kenyan activists to stay out of her country’s internal affairs, warning that Tanzania will not tolerate any form of foreign interference.
Speaking during the launch of Tanzania’s new foreign policy on Monday, Suluhu said there is a growing trend of activists from the region trying to meddle in the country’s issues, particularly the ongoing trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
"We have started to observe a trend in which activists from within our region are attempting to intrude and interfere in our affairs," she said in a televised address.
"If they have been controlled in their country, let them not come to disrupt us. Let us not give them the chance; they have already destabilised their countries, and the only remaining peaceful nation is Tanzania."
Just hours before her remarks, several Kenyan human rights activists were detained and deported upon arrival in Dar es Salaam.
Among those turned away at Julius Nyerere International Airport were former Justice Minister Martha Karua and former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, who had travelled to attend a court hearing for Lissu.
Lissu, the leader of opposition party Chadema, is facing treason charges linked to a speech in which he allegedly urged Tanzanians to rise up and disrupt the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October.
His party was barred from participating in the polls after the National Electoral Commission claimed Chadema failed to sign a required code of conduct.
Chadema has accused Suluhu’s administration of reviving authoritarian practices, similar to those seen in past regimes.
Lissu's case was postponed to June 2 after prosecutors said investigations were still underway.
In her statement, Suluhu called on the country’s security and defence agencies to stay alert and act decisively.
"Let us not give them the chance; they have already destabilised their countries, and the only remaining peaceful nation is Tanzania," she said.
"Let them not come to disrupt us. Let us not give them the chance."
She added: "Our security and defence organs must not allow ill-mannered individuals from other countries to cross the line here."
