EUROPEAN UNION REACTS TO PRIEST'S KILLING

The European Union (EU) yesterday urged Tanzanian authorities to carry out a full investigation into last Sunday’s killing of Father Evarist Mushi in Zanzibar. The group also wants investigations into previous attacks on Muslim and Christian leaders to be continued and those responsible brought to book. The EU Delegation in Tanzania also called upon the governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar and other stakeholders to support open dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities—and take measures to prevent further incidents. It also wants action against those who spark sectarian violence. On Monday, the US offered to support Tanzania in pursuing and bringing to justice those who gunned down Father Mushi. The US expressed its willingness to assist Tanzania a day after the minister for Home Affairs, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, toured the scene of the crime and declared it a “terrorist attack”. In a press statement issued yesterday, US Ambassador Alfonso Lenhardt described the killing of Father Mushi as a senseless murder. He added that his country was ready to offer any assistance Tanzania might require to bring the culprits to book. Meanwhile, the EU said religious freedom is a universal human right that needs to be protected everywhere and for everyone. “Religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence have been a hallmark of Tanzanian society,” said the statement supported by Norway and Switzerland. The EU urged religious communities to make every effort to refrain from violence, keep up the spirit of tolerance and respect for other people’s beliefs and resolve any differences through dialogue. Meanwhile, three days after the killing of the priest, a church called The Pool of Siloam—located at Kianga area south of Unguja—was partly burnt yesterday at dawn by unknown people. Zanzibar’s deputy director of criminal investigations, Commissioner of Police Yusuf Ilembo, said the incident took place between 3am and 4am yesterday. A guard at the church, identified as Mussa Jackson, said he saw three people inside the church. They stoned Mr Jackson but he managed to escape through a window. He reported seeing a fire inside the church. The church was broken into by unknown assailants in 2011, according to the police commissioner. It was the 26th church to be set on fire in Zanzibar.