Things that go bump in the night… rodents, ghosts, and… bombs? Probably the biggest breaking news on an international scale last night (that didn’t actually make the news), was the two hour onslaught of bombing that occurred in Dar es Salaam, TZ- only 15km from where we live.
At 9.30pm on February 16th, as Ross and I sat in our bed watching a horror film (of all things), the house began to shake, the doors rattled, and every window in the house pounded. As a Southern Californian, I immediately thought ‘Earthquake!’ Then the noise grew louder. A second blast. A third. Over and over until the sky glowed fluorescent orange.
Everyone on our property moved outdoors. The question every one wanted an answer to- is this an attack? Or is this an accidental bomb detonation from the nearby military camp?
Half the Tanzanians we live with believed it was the former. Recently, there have been riots at the local universities, and the opposition party, for the first time in 40yrs is gaining momentum in the country, causing political unrest (although this is largely conducted in whispers and unseen gestures). As we all know, civil war can happen overnight. Fact. But there hasn’t been a build up, and this seemed unlikely, especially due to the Muslim holiday.
The skeptical Tanzanians on our property, however, believed the bombs were a repeat of what happened in 2009 when a bunker of ammo was compromised, creating a domino effect of explosions heard throughout the city. Tanzanians are generally a peaceful nation, especially in comparison to their neighboring countries. Their motto is ‘better to be peaceful and poor.’ So while some believed a military f*** up couldn’t happen twice, others thought it was just typical stupidity. Incompetence that happens once can be construed as an accident, the same mistake happens twice, and it is neglicence. We will never know how many lives were lost in the explosions last night, or in the 2009 bombings.
The city went almost completely offline during the explosions- no mobile or Internet connection, and no power. We were completely in the dark, except for the eruptions of light on the skyline. The explosions felt, and looked, as if they were just across our street. One of our neighbors nearly launched a boat into the Indian Ocean in front of our house, and I thought to myself, ‘Oh great! Now we have to contend with bombs dropping in the water, and people that can’t swim.’
A typical occurrence these days- Twitter broke the news first, many people posting, ‘God save Tanzania. God save Dar es Salaam.’ Comforting.
The following morning, the local news channel talked only of power cuts, and no mention of the bombs. Later, it was confirmed that an entire ammo dump had detonated at the military outposts at Mbagala and Mboto. Once the explosives started, they couldn’t be stopped. It was rumored that in 2009, a military official held a gun to his soldiers heads, and gave them an ultimatum- either try to stop the bombs from detonating (suicide) or get shot in the head. Why on earth are explosives of this scale being stored within city limits?
This is what I know based on the news from this morning. Dar es Salaam airport is closed to domestic and international flights indefinitely. Many people have been injured or killed. The injured were collected and dispersed to hospitals all over the city, and many family members don’t know if their loved ones are alive or dead. Kikwete, the President, has not addressed the nation and it’s been almost 24hrs. The military is admitting to 20 deaths only and everything else is hush hush. Word on the street suggests a death toll of over 200. The government, when asked about the disappearance of an entire military academy of boys and girls, claims they fled in fear. Read between the lines, we all know what that means. This is the SECOND time this has happened in a two-year period. So far, no announcements of resignation from the powers that be, and no formal apologies either. Stay tuned…
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