No TZ driver abducted, claims envoy

Dar es Salaam. Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Tanzania has refuted recent media reports that 18 Tanzanian and three Ugandan drivers were kidnapped by the MaiMai rebels.

DRC ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Jean Pierre Mutamba, said that the drivers have not been abducted but are stranded due to an ongoing fight pitting the government army against the rebels.

According to a press statement issued yesterday in Dar es Salaam, the ambassador was speaking to the Chief Operating officer of the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA), Mr Sayiba Patient, who paid a courtesy call to the embassy seeking for clarification on the matter.

“The drivers are stranded because of the ongoing confrontation between government and the rebels. It is important that they remain in the area until the situation normalises before proceeding to their destination,” he said.

According to him, the Lulimba and other villages where the incident of confrontation between the government army and rebels occurred, is being secured to make sure that the whole area is absolutely free from rebels.

Mr Mutamba went on to explain that the DRC government was committed to ensuring that security of the drivers and other visitors was a priority in order to promote transit trade in the region.