From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: TANZANIA: EXILED MINISTER RETURNS H
Date: 12 Sep 92 14:32:16 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Reference: Europe, western
Title: TANZANIA: EXILED MINISTER RETURNS HOME AMID TIGHT SECURITY


dar es salaam, sep 5 (ips) -- after 25 years in exile in
britain, former tanzanian cabinet minister oscar kambona
returned home early saturday and said he would form his own
political party.

his wife flora was among the hundreds of supporters and
friends who met the 67-year-old kambona when his british airways
plane touched down here early saturday, amid tight security by
the tanzanian authorities.

''it's nice to be home after all these years'', kambona
told journalists who had fought their way into the arrivals'
lounge after police refused them entry.

one-time defence, interior and foreign minister, kambona
went into exile to britain in 1967 after differences with fromer
tanzanian president julius nyerere over the introduction of
''ujamaa'' (socialism) and self-reliance'' as tanzania's
ideology.

at the time, kambona was secretary-general of the ruling
tanganyika african national union (tanu) which, with nyerere as
president, led tanganyika to independence from britain in 1961.

kambona emphasised to journalists on arrival here that
he would continue with political activities despite the
government's declaring him a non-tanzanian national.

''his citizenship is questionable'', the principal secretary
in the ministry of home affairs, wilfred mwabulambo, said in
statement friday.

the government says kambona is actually a malawian because he
never re-applied for tanzanian citizneship after he was asked to
do so on discovery of his origins.

kambona, however, maintains he is a tanzanian national and
that the citizenship issue was ''the government's own problem
and not mine'', he said saturday.

while in exile kambona surrendered his tanzanian passport and
returned to tanzania on a u.n. travel document.

last week tanzania's home affairs (interior) minister
augustine mrema, said kambona would be arrested on arrival for
his part as accused number one in an alleged conspiracy to
overthrow the tanzania government in 1971.

this did not happen. instead, the government issued him a
three-month permit to stay in the country to sort out his
citizenship status. (more/ips)


tanzania: exiled (2)

as tanu secretary-general kambona was very popular at the
party's grassroots and was thought to be nyerere's heir
apparent.

tanu merged with the afro-shiraz party, which ruled on the
indian ocean island of zanzibar, to form chama cha mapinduzi
(party of the revolution) feb. 5, 1977.

kambona returned home under tanzania's new political
dispensation following the introduction of multi-party democracy
in april. until then, the east african nation of 34 million
people was a one-party state.

''there is greater need now to fight for freedom than
before'', emphasised kambona, whose return has been received
with mixed feelings by tanzanians.

''our man is back home. time for real democracy has come'',
john kapuluta, one of the hundreds of people who went to the
airport to cheer kambona, told ips.

''let's wait and see if he will bring any changes'', was the
more cautious assessment of abdallah hamisi, a plumber in this
tanzanian capital. (end/ips/pc/apc/oa/92)
 

-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
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