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Zawya
10 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Tanzania opens skies to stem tourism losses after EU flights ban
In a bid to restore the confidence of air travellers to Tanzania, the government has extended traffic rights to international airlines to stem a crisis following the recent European Union ban on Tanzania-registered aircraft. Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), in extending freedoms of the air to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways, said the decision was to safeguard tourism, business continuity and international mobility.'The TCAA has granted additional rights, for a period of six months, to KLM, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways to support and facilitate local and regional connections to major Tanzanian destinations,' director-general Salim Msangi said in a statement. The authority assured travellers that the European Union ban on all planes registered in the country did not apply to aircraft certified outside Tanzania. The assurance came as foreign travellers started to shun air transport in Tanzania, with many cancelling their safaris, a move that Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato) said affected the tourism industry.'This has greatly impacted the industry, as most tourists were refusing to get on planes, even while flying to the national parks, opting for road trips instead,' said Tato chairperson Willy Chambulo. But he was more concerned about cancelled international flights by tourists who had booked safaris to Tanzania and called on the government to speed up the process of clearing the issue with the EU. The ban was an indictment of the TCAA, and Msangi says they are taking the necessary measures to ensure seamless movement and constant connectivity to and from all destinations in Tanzania. He said the EU decision does not affect airlines that are registered outside Tanzania, and pleaded with Tanzania-bound travellers to stop cancelling their bookings. The authority said Tanzanian operators that have regulatory clearance to partner with internationally registered operators through codeshare or block permit arrangements still allow continued operation within destinations in Tanzania, without disruption.'We take this opportunity to reaffirm that Tanzania remains open and accessible, and the aviation sector continues to function under international safety and regulatory standards. These temporary arrangements are designed to preserve business continuity, investor confidence, and service reliability during this period,' TCAA said. National carrier Air Tanzania (ATCL) is among airlines banned from flying within the European Union's airspace because of safety concerns. This decision was based on serious safety concerns identified during assessments conducted by the EU aviation safety experts. They revealed that civil aviation authorities were unable to ensure compliance with international safety standards for air carriers. For Suriname and Tanzania, the identified safety shortcomings cover both operational and regulatory areas. A total of 169 airlines are banned from EU skies. These include a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective oversight processes in flight operations and airworthiness, and non-compliance with international safety standards by both countries' civil aviation authorities and certified air carriers. The EU Air Safety List is based on the unanimous opinion of member state aviation safety experts, who met in Brussels from May 13 to 15 2025 under the auspices of the EU Air Safety Committee. This Committee is chaired by the European Commission with support from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The European Parliament's Transport Committee supported the update. Decisions under the EU Air Safety List are based on international safety standards, and notably the standards decreed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Another 22 airlines certified in Russia, as well as five individual airlines from other states, based on serious safety deficiencies identified: Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Fly Baghdad (Iraq) and Iraqi Airways (Iraq) are either banned from operating in the EU or face operational restrictions. Two additional airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types: Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (Democratic People's Republic of Korea). Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas insisted that passenger safety remains their top priority. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Leader of Tanzania's main opposition party could face death penalty
The security at the court building was extraordinary: a rooftop sniper, police with dogs and tear-gas launchers, vans with darkened windows, and a small army of black-masked guards with armoured jackets and submachine guns. But the defendant in the courtroom is not a dangerous terrorist. He is a politician, a leader of Tanzania's main opposition party who faces a highly organized operation to prevent him from running in this year's election. Tundu Lissu, chairman of the Chadema party, is on trial for treason − a charge that carries the death penalty. His prosecution, protested by human-rights groups around the world, exposes the sharp decline of democracy in a country that Western donors have long favoured with billions of dollars in aid. Mr. Lissu has endured countless arrests and attacks over the past decade. In 2017, gunmen with assault rifles sprayed dozens of bullets at his vehicle, nearly killing him. After three years in exile and a long recovery in hospital from 16 bullet wounds, he returned fearlessly to politics, contesting Tanzania's 2020 election as an opposition candidate and finishing second in official results. This year, Tanzania's authoritarian government seems determined to prevent him from running again. His party has been banned from the October election after authorities accused it of failing to accept an electoral code of conduct. Many of its top officials, along with other activists, have been arrested or harassed in recent weeks. And now, Mr. Lissu faces a potential death sentence. He was arrested in April after he called for reforms in Tanzania's electoral system. 'This is not a normal trial,' the 57-year-old politician told the judge at his latest hearing on Monday. 'I have not been sentenced, yet I am held in the death-row block. I am watched night and day. I cannot speak to my lawyers in private. Not a single private conversation has been allowed.' From 2020: Gunshots and tear gas fail to deter Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu He described how two guards keep him under constant watch, day and night. He is even barred from joining other detainees in the prison's exercise yard. Instead, he is required to walk alone in a dirty drainage-ditch area. Because his conversations with his lawyers are closely monitored, Mr. Lissu told the court that it is impossible for him to discuss strategy with them and he will be obliged to defend himself without any lawyers. Wearing a shirt emblazoned with the opposition slogan – 'No reforms, no election' – he smiled and flashed a victory sign at local reporters. Outside the court, his supporters chanted his name and waved placards demanding justice, but their voices were nearly drowned out by police sirens. Most of his supporters were denied permission to enter the crowded courtroom. A senior Tanzanian official told The Globe and Mail that the government's goal is to keep Mr. Lissu in prison until after the October election, to prevent him from running. After the vote, he will be quietly released, the official said. The Globe is not identifying the official because he could face retribution from the authorities for speaking out. Tanzania has been governed by a single party since its independence in 1961. The ruling party, today known as Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, the Revolutionary Party), has dominated all aspects of Tanzanian life and rarely tolerates much dissent. Its opponents have accused it of rigging recent elections to deliver huge majorities to CCM. Freedom House, a U.S.-based democracy and rights group, recently announced that it had downgraded Tanzania's status from 'partly free' to 'not free' because of the government's repressive measures. Despite this, Tanzania has remained a Western aid darling, and one of the largest recipients of Canadian foreign aid. Canada has provided $3.4-billion in international assistance to Tanzania since its independence, including $141-million in 2023-24, according to data from Global Affairs Canada. As the election approaches, a growing number of opposition politicians and activists have been kidnapped in what amount to 'enforced disappearances,' according to a report by United Nations human-rights experts. They described it as 'a flagrant tactic to suppress dissent.' In one of the most shocking cases, two activists from Kenya and Uganda who tried to attend Mr. Lissu's treason trial were arrested and disappeared for days. They were later dumped in remote border towns. Both gave detailed accounts of how they were tortured and sexually assaulted by Tanzanian security agents. Even churches have fallen victim to the crackdown. This month, authorities ordered the shutdown of a prominent church and arrested a dozen of its worshippers after its bishop criticized the disappearance of opposition activists. The bishop, Josephat Gwajima, is an outspoken MP who has complained of 'creeping authoritarianism' in the country. Witnesses described how police raided the church, even arresting a disabled woman in a wheelchair, dragging her away and throwing her into a police vehicle. Mr. Gwajima has fled into hiding, leaving a prerecorded sermon in which he says: 'They can shut down the church, but they cannot shut down the people's spirit.' Last Sunday, hundreds of his followers held a defiant outdoor service. 'We are not criminals,' said Rehema Moses, a long-time congregant. 'We are citizens exercising our right to believe.'
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Stakeholders fault Tanzania for cutting tourism budget
Tanzania's tourism players say the decision to cut down the budget allocation for the next fiscal year will undermine the country's very policy targeting to raise the number of visitors. The Tourism Confederation of Tanzania (TCT) expressed its disappointment after the budget allocation to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism was slashed from Tsh596.1 billion ($230 million) to Tsh317.4 billion ($122.4 million) in the 2025/26 financial year. This is despite tourism sector earning Tanzania $3.9 billion in 2024, becoming the highest forex earner for the country. TCT said in a statement the country will struggle to implement its marketing plans and expanding key enablers for tourism.'This trend undermines the long-term sustainability of the ecosystems and wildlife that are the foundation of Tanzania's global tourism competitiveness,' the TCT statement said. Tanzania lowered its budget from the initial figure of Tsh57.04 trillion ($22.09 billion) to Tsh56.49 trillion ($21.88 billion), according to figures tabled by Finance minister Mwigulu Nchemba. For tourism, players say there shouldn't have been a cut. Nature-based tourism accounts for over 70 percent of Tanzania's annual tourism earnings, sourced from tourists visiting wildlife parks and other nature protected areas, beaches, historical and cultural heritage sites. TCT also listed the 10 percent withholding tax imposed on tourism retained earnings as a harmful tax on reinvesting in upgrades, expansion and staffing. It further argued that foreign exchange controls would also prevent operators from quoting and settling their charges on dollar and euro, a situation which is critical for pre-bookings and packaged group tours. The government has imposed a control on local transactions using the dollar with a directive to Tanzanian companies, including tour operators, to stick to the shilling. Under the new regulations by the Bank of Tanzania, tourists should use Tanzanian shilling to pay for services. Read: Tanzania raises budget to $19bn on polls, Afcon costsThe confederation's CEO Lathifa Sykes said that it was curious that the government allocated a big budget for development of infrastructure to host the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 2027, but overlooked tourism-related businesses, which would shoulder the logistical burden of the continental event.'You know the situation which hotels, transport companies, tour operators and cultural providers would face without getting support to upgrade or scale up their services in preparation for the 2027 tournament?' she posed. Dr Nchemba allocated Tsh574.8 billion ($221 million) for the preparations of Afcon 2027, with Tsh179.8 billion ($69 million) to be spent for renovation of stadiums in Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Read: Exit the Paris Olympics, enter Afcon 2027; We can pull it off!Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda have been selected to jointly host the Afcon games between June and July 2027. TCT had proposed the establishment of National Conservation Trust Fund, which would mobilse three to five percent of total tourism earnings, then eliminate the current taxes and levies, including the tourist development and bed night levies. Some 5.3 million tourists visited Tanzania in 2024, official figures show. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Tanzanian Opposition Leader to Represent Himself in Treason Trial
The main opposition leader in Tanzania was granted permission on Monday to represent himself in his treason trial after being denied the right to meet his lawyers in private by prison authorities. Tundu Lissu was arrested on April 9 and charged with treason after addressing a public rally calling for electoral reforms ahead of planned general elections in October. Lissu's Chadema party has been critical of the absence of an independent electoral commission and laws that favor the ruling CCM party, which has been in power since Tanzania's independence in 1961. Lissu survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times in 2017, three years before the last election. The opposition leader told the court on Monday that he was being forced to speak to his lawyers through a phone in a small room and was worried that anyone could be listening to or recording the conversations. 'I have more than 30 lawyers who I trust very much. Today is the 68th day since I was arraigned and charged with treason, but my lawyers have been repeatedly denied the right to see me in private,' Lissu said. The chief magistrate at the Kisutu court in Dar es Salaam, Franco Kiswaga, said Lissu would be allowed to engage directly with the prosecution unless he later decides otherwise. He urged the prosecution to speed up investigations and set a hearing date for July 1. Lissu also protested what he called a denial of basic rights, including the right to worship. He said he was being held in a section of the prison designated for inmates sentenced to death, even though he has not been convicted. Human rights activists have accused Tanzania's government, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, of heavy-handed tactics against the opposition. The government denies the claims.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Tanzanian opposition leader to represent himself in treason trial
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — The main opposition leader in Tanzania was granted permission on Monday to represent himself in his treason trial after being denied the right to meet his lawyers in private by prison authorities. Tundu Lissu was arrested on April 9 and charged with treason after addressing a public rally calling for electoral reforms ahead of planned general elections in October. Lissu's Chadema party has been critical of the absence of an independent electoral commission and laws that favor the ruling CCM party, which has been in power since Tanzania's independence in 1961. Lissu survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times in 2017, three years before the last election. The opposition leader told the court on Monday that he was being forced to speak to his lawyers through a phone in a small room and was worried that anyone could be listening or recording the conversations. 'I have more than 30 lawyers who I trust very much. Today is the 68th day since I was arraigned and charged with treason, but my lawyers have been repeatedly denied the right to see me in private,' Lissu said. The chief magistrate at the Kisutu court in Dar es Salaam, Franco Kiswaga, said Lissu would be allowed to engage directly with the prosecution unless he later decides otherwise. He urged the prosecution to speed up investigations and set a hearing date for July 1. Lissu also protested what he called a denial of basic rights including the right to worship. He said he was being held in a section of the prison designated for inmates sentenced to death, even though he has not been convicted. Human rights activists have accused Tanzania's government, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, of heavy-handed tactics against the opposition. The government denies the claims.
