Tanzania: Unidentified gunmen kill two police officers in Kibiti June 21

Event

Unidentified gunmen ambushed two police officers in the Kibiti district of the Pwani region on Wednesday, June 21. The two officers were on patrol in the middle of the day between Bungu and Jaribu when the assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on them and then fled.

Context

A number of attacks on police officers have been carried out in the Pwani region in recent months, and many local leaders reported similar harassment. Eight police officers were killed in an ambush on a convoy traveling on the Dar es Salaam- Lindi Road on April 13. According to reports, there has been an increase in the number of violent incidents since May 2016. The government has vowed to crack down on the incidents and police have conducted several raids on suspected attackers in the region.

On April 27, Tanzanian authorities announced that increased security measures were to be implemented in the Pwani coastal region, 100 km (60 mi) south of Dar es Salaam. These measures include an increase in the number of police checkpoints in the region, particularly on highways and in towns; on April 14, 2017, the Tanzanian police force announced that the use of motorcycles was banned after 18:00 (local time) throughout the region.

Advice

Individuals are advised to monitor the situation and exercise caution when traveling in the Pwani region.