Five people are killed when gunfire erupts near the French embassy

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:55 am

Five people were killed, including three police officers, according to Tanzania’s president on Wednesday, following a gun battle with an armed man near the French embassy in the capital, Dar es Salaam.

It was not immediately clear whether the shootout in the heavily guarded diplomatic area was a terror attack or a misunderstanding between the parties involved. Deputy Chief of Police Liberatus Sabas said the gunman attacked two police officers, took their firearms, and then “began shooting sporadically towards the French Embassy” in Tanzania.

“He then took cover in a structure next to the French Embassy, where he continued to shoot,” Sabas said of the suspect. Mr. Sirro told reporters that the armed man had been identified as being a foreigner and that the police believe he was from Somalia.

Sirro also expressed concern that the attack could be linked to the jihadist insurgency in neighboring Mozambique, where a growing number of African countries are working together to apprehend the insurgents and kill them.

Related Posts

After addressing security officials in another part of the city, Tanzania’s commercial hub, President Samia Suluhu Hassan was summoned to the scene of the confrontation.

In a later statement, the president stated that three police officers, one member of the auxiliary police, and the armed man were killed, and she ordered an investigation into the incident.

The United States Embassy issued a security alert, advising citizens to stay away from the area. The shootout took place not far from the site of the deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Kenya in 1998.

Albert Echetah

Recent Posts

Africa 2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Everything You Need to Know

National teams from Africa advance their World Cup qualification pursuit as they take part in Matchday 5 of the qualifiers.…

March 21, 2025

Afreximbank’s $28,000 Prize Returns to Honor African Publishers

Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) is running the Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa again to award $28,000 to African…

March 21, 2025

Canada Boosts $37B Mining Investment in Africa with New Strategy

Canadian companies have expanded their presence as major African mining stakeholders and invested more than $37 billion. Africa holds the…

March 20, 2025

South Africa to Plant 1 Million Trees in a Single Day

The South African government wants people to plant one million trees across the nation within a single day on September…

March 20, 2025

South Africa’s Inflation Holds Steady as Central Bank Decision Looms

The government's statistics regulator showed that South African inflation stayed at 3.2% during February and rose below the projected 3.3%.…

March 19, 2025

Africa’s Energy Future Takes Center Stage at AEW 2025

Keywords: Cape Town, African Energy Chamber, Africa,  The 2025 African Energy Week (AEW) will host the top energy leaders from…

March 19, 2025