The Tanzanian government has increased
its 2015/2016 defence budget by 30 per cent to sustain the recruitment and
training of new soldiers and ongoing procurement of military equipment, mainly
being delivered from China.
Defence and National Service minister Hussein Mwinyi announced that the
Tanzanian People's Defence Force (TPDF) has been allocated $808 million to
strengthen national security operations, which is $188 million more than last
year.
Mwinyi said the government is concerned
about several regional militias and armed groups which are posing new national
security threats along the western border with the eastern provinces of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He said the increase in defence spending is also aimed at ensuring Tanzania can
defend itself from home-grown and regional terror groups like Al Shabaab, which
has repeatedly attacked Uganda and Kenya.
Tanzanian intelligence services say there are indications the Somali militant
group is operating recruitment and funding cells inside Tanzania and several
locals have been arrested for having links with Al Shabbab over the past few
years.
In terms of military procurement, Tanzania recently obtained two former Chinese
Navy Haiquing class patrol boats.
At the moment Tanzania has 4 Huchuan class torpedo boats, 2 Ngunguri class
vessels, 2 Shanghai II class patrol craft, a pair of 27 foot Defender type
patrol boats and 2 Yuchin class landing craft.
China also recently sold Tanzania 24 Type 63A light amphibious tanks, 12 Type
07PA 120 mm self-propelled mortars, FB-6A mobile short-range air defence
systems and A100 300 mm multiple rocket launchers.
This follows military hardware delivered
earlier in the decade from China, including 30 Type-59G tanks, 14 F-7MG fighter
aircraft, six K-8 trainer jets, ten WZ-551 armoured personnel carriers, 100
FN-6 surface-to-air missiles and ten Type-63A light tanks.
China and Tanzania enjoy have strong military relations. In November 2014 the
two countries concluded a month-long naval exercise, their first joint training
exercise in the history of bilateral military relations.