DODOMA, Tanzania — Tanzanian authorities have arrested a WhatsApp group administrator accused of using the platform to mobilize anti-government protests, amid growing tensions following last month’s disputed elections.
Police said Ambrose Leonce Dede, a security guard and registered member of the opposition Chadema party, was apprehended on Wednesday in Makiungu town, Ikiungi district, in Singida province.
According to a statement released Thursday by police spokesperson David Misime, Dede and seven other administrators of a WhatsApp group named SAUTI YA WATANZANIA (“Voice of Tanzanians”) are under investigation for allegedly coordinating plans for renewed street demonstrations.
“Evidence gathered before his arrest indicates that the said WhatsApp group, alongside its co-admins and other members — some based outside the country — have been engaging in discussions to cause chaos under the guise of peaceful protests,” Misime said in a statement issued from Dodoma.
Police also released the phone numbers of several co-admins said to be on the run, as investigations near completion. Authorities said more arrests are expected before “legal steps follow.”
The statement warned Tanzanians against joining online chats that promote unrest, insisting that “no one will be spared” for participating in what authorities describe as “illegal mobilization.”
“The Police Force is urging citizens to avoid engaging in group chats run by persons planning chaos disguised as peaceful protests,” Misime said. “That is a violation of the law, and action will be taken against anyone found culpable.”
He added that citizens should expose those “seeking to destroy peace,” claiming that such individuals benefit financially while ordinary families suffer.
The arrest comes amid reports of a planned large-scale protest on December 9, coinciding with Tanzania’s Independence Day, to demand the resignation of President Samia Suluhu Hassan over alleged human rights abuses during and after the October 29 elections.
Although the government has not released official figures, rights groups and opposition sources claim that more than 1,000 people were killed in post-election violence.
The UN human rights chief Volker Türk last week called for an independent investigation into the killings, alleging that police moved bodies from the streets “to undisclosed locations” to conceal evidence.
Tanzania has blamed the unrest on “foreign interference” and launched a sweeping crackdown on opposition supporters.
On Wednesday, several senior Chadema officials — including vice chairman John Heche, deputy secretary-general Amani Golugwa, central committee member Godbless Lema, and coastal region chair Boniface Jacob — were released from detention.
More than 170 people have so far been charged with treason over the violence that erupted during and after the elections.
