Neglect in Tanzania

An ammunition dump of the outskirts of the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam exploded. The death toll stands currently at 20, however more than 1,000 people were injured in the explosion, 300 of which are currently in critical care at the local hospital. In an article by the BBC entitled ‘Tanzania blast victims demand aid,’ it explains how the survivors of the crisis, which happened last week, are still waiting for emergency relief.

The unsettling thing about this story is that it is Tanzania’s own government that pledged to help compensate all those affected by the blast, and it is the government that is failing to fulfill their pledge. Many local residents of Dar es Salaam are yet to be provided with adequate food and shelter. They are inhumanely being forced to live in the dangerous ruins of their crumbling homes whilst they wait for the government to pull themselves together.

A local man, whose home was largely destroyed in the explosion, and who is still looking for his missing child, has this to say:

“I went to register [for aid] so officers could come here to assess the damage,
but to date I have neither seen the camp leader nor the area governmental
person. I spent the whole day yesterday at home. I have not seen anyone."

More than half of the dead were children, many of whom drowned in a river in the panic following the blast. It is estimated that hundreds of people, mainly children, are yet to be reunited with their families. The only aid team on the scene helping to distribute aid, and provide services, is the Red Cross.