Tension over Tanzanian militia

Women have been targeted by Sungusungu in Tanzania

The authorities in north-western Tanzanian have said that they are trying to diffuse tensions between local residents and a traditional militia group which is said to be harassing and intimidating villagers.

The group, known as Sungusungu, which is recognised by the government, had threatened to punish women in the Bariadi district, whom they accuse of promiscuity and spreading HIV/Aids in the society.

The Bariadi district commissioner, Cleophas Rugarabamu, told the BBC Focus on Africa programme that tension occurred after the traditional militia gave two local unmarried women an ultimatum on Monday - to get married, leave the Inkoma village or face the consequences.

"Following the investigations by our security personnel, we discovered that Sungusungu had issued the directives to two women who are said to be practicing prostitution," said Mr Rugarabamu.

Their [Sungusungu] powers are limited to operations involving curbing of cattle-rustlers and people who infringe on other people's properties Cleophas Rugarabamu

He said the government was surprised by the Sungusungu action and that they would call a meeting on Thursday to explain to the villagers that the directive did not come from the government.

One of the women has since gone back to her family and the other is still a free agent, but no action has been taken against her by the traditional militia so far, three days after the deadline.

Mr Rugarabamu acknowledged that Sungusungu sometimes overstep their boundaries, something which the government is closely "monitoring to ensure that they do not operate outside their mandate".

"Their [Sungusungu] powers are limited to operations involving curbing of cattle-rustlers and people who infringe on other people's properties," he said.

Sungusungu was initially formed as a grass-roots law and order organization of the Sukuma tribe of the Mwanza and Shinyanga regions, aimed at controlling the increasing number of cattle rustlers who emerged at the end of the Ugandan war, which left a surplus of guns and young unemployed men.

Killings

But later the organisation, with members between the ages of 14 and 30, began persecuting adulterers, run-away wives and debtors, reviving the traditional aggressive mannerism towards women, which sometimes involved killings.

After government intervention, Sungusungu was reformed in the mid-1990s to become an arbitration organisation of peacemaking counsellors, involved in solving community disputes, by imposing penalties and sometimes ostracising the adulterers.

In recent years the organisation has come under a lot of criticism with opposition political leaders calling for the group to be disbanded.

"The security of the people and property is the responsibility of the police and not some traditional militia, who have the mandate of the government," said Richard Hiza Tambwe, the director of publicity and information with the opposition Civic United Front (CUF).