June Update: The Political Stuff

Greetings once again!

As usual, it’s been a long while since my last post, primarily because I’ve been pretty busy with work in the village. As is also usual, a lot has happened in the meantime, so I’ll make multiple posts to segregate various topics. Jumping right in…

First and foremost, I’ll give you a brief update on the political situation here in Mtwara. As some of you know, the gas issue that sparked rioting in my region in late January has resurfaced. This is the third draft in the last couple weeks that I’ve written to try and explain the situation. Despite the disclaimer on the right side of this page (which I believe gives me a reasonable leash to voice my opinion), I feel some obligation to inform of the situation without editorializing; I’ve thus far been unable to do that, but I’ll try again…

Some time ago, a large field of natural gas was found off the coast of Mtwara (my region). Since then, there has been hope among Mtwarans (who have long lived in one of the most underdeveloped areas of the country) that the find will bring money and industry to the region, creating jobs and boosting development in the process. The Tanzanian government, however, has made it clear that it wants to build a pipeline from Mtwara to Dar es Salaam for processing, where the infrastructure for such already exists.

Disgruntled Mtwarans began public demonstrations against this plan in December in Mtwara town (while we were in town celebrating Christmas, as it happens; this was the first time the issue came to my attention). Peaceful demonstrations were commonplace over the course of the next month until things became violent in late January, when rioting broke out in Mtwara on the 25^th and in Masasi and Newala on the 26^th. Following this, the government began a major public relations push to convince Mtwarans that there had been a misunderstanding about the pipeline plans; the government also highlighted plans to bring various industries to the region. At some point during this period, many (I would argue most) Mtwarans gained the impression that the government had scrapped its plan to build the pipeline (although I have never been able to find any evidence supporting this belief).

Things remained relatively quiet until mid-May, when the government was due to release its annual budget. The budget would reveal the government’s plan regarding the pipeline, so Mtwarans stopped everything they were doing (literally) to pay attention to the announcement. (We began receiving texts from Peace Corps on the 16^th informing us that protests were expected and to avoid town (naturally I was in town). Didn’t take much to figure out what the announcement was going to be.) The announcement was originally slated for the 17^th, however it was eventually postponed.

On May 22^nd, the government released its budget. The gas pipeline would continue as originally planned before the rioting; Mtwara would get 0.3% of the profits from production charges and additional development would come as a byproduct of private investment in the region (a politi-speak way to say that the government had no plans to commit to development). Before the budget announcement was finished, many of the angry and largely-unemployed youth of Mtwara town were throwing bricks and burning buildings.

The bulk of the rioting in Mtwara town lasted two days this time around. The military came in on the 23^rd to quell the issue. Damage estimates vary, but dukas were looted, homes of government and police officials were burned, roads were barricaded and a bridge was destroyed. Police are saying three people (including a pregnant woman) were killed, but an independent human rights group and Mtwaran citizens are saying that at least twelve died (not yet verified, as far as I know). Mtwarans are also saying that, in the aftermath of the riots, police retaliated by burning homes and acting otherwise with impunity. Verifiable information is all but impossible to come by in Tanzania, so distinguishing what actually happened is difficult. In any case, trust between the police and the public has eroded completely, although I’ve seen nothing to suggest the public feels that same way about the military.

On the weekend of June 8^th, I traveled to Mtwara town with Stevie, the Volunteer with whom I was caught in the Masasi riot in January. The situation in town was still tense; platoons of soldiers were packed into huge lorries and armored personnel carriers could be seen rumbling through the streets.

APCs somewhat like this were patrolling the streets.

 The night we arrived, the Member of Parliament for Mtwara town was arrested by police; they claimed he had a role in inciting the violence. He was due in court on the 10^th of June, along with 91 others arrested during the rioting. We intended to leave the morning of the 10^th, but were informed on June 9^th by Peace Corps that some Mtwarans were planning a demonstration to prevent traffic from leaving town. After weighing options and considering advice from multiple angles, we spent the majority of the next day sitting in a guestie playing videogames, reading, napping and, in my case, repeatedly searching ‘Mtwara’ on Twitter. What little we did see outside suggested a heavy police presence intended to deter any trouble before it got started. Still, virtually every duka and bar was closed in anticipation of a disturbance that never came (although there was apparently an issue in Newala). When we finally did leave on the morning of the 11^th, each bus out of town had a soldier on board.

So that’s it. The gas issue in Mtwara is one of three hot issues in Tanzania right now (the others being the redrafting of the Tanzanian Constitution and the reformation of the failed education system). How it is handled will have broad implications for the allocation of benefits from the country’s natural resources, so there are strong opinions on either side. Right now, the Tanzanian government is pretty adamant about building the pipeline, while many Mtwarans remain just as adamant that the pipe should not be built.

That’s about all I know to this point. Any guess as to how long until the issue resolves – and what that means, exactly – would just be speculation. I’ve simply resigned to the fact that we’ll probably be dealing it for the duration of my service. No worries, though: Peace Corps has a pretty solid security apparatus to keep us informed on what they know; I’m in good hands.

Here are some additional links on the Mtwara situation:

'The Untold Story of Tanzania's Resource Curse' - Think Africa Press; The best article I've read so far on the situation.

'Chaos hits Mtwara after gas project confirmation' - The Citizen; An article covering the rioting the day after it began.

'Could Mtwara chaos have exposed police brutality, impunity?' - The Citizen; An article analyzing the police response to the situation.
'LHRC disputes Mtwara toll' - The Citizen; An article covering LHRC's claim that at least 12 people died in the rioting.

Note: The Citizen is a local English-language newspaper. It's one of two major English-language newspapers in Tanzania, the other being The Daily News. The Daily News tends to represent the government viewpoint while The Citizen tends to be more critical (it may well be affiliated with the opposition; I'm not sure). Neither of them is of great quality, so read with a critical mind.

On to other, happier stuff…