Military camps for fencing to deter intruders

DAILY NEWS Reporters in Dodoma

Minister for Defence and National Service, Dr Hussein Mwinyi

THE government will build walls and wired fences as well plant trees to protect areas under military barracks from land invaders, the National Assembly was told yesterday.

The Minister for Defence and National Service, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, said civilians were knowingly or unknowingly settling in areas allocated for military camps but measures are underway to protect the areas.

“Most of the military areas, be barracks or training camps, have massive interference with civilians and other institutions.

Due to this interference, citizens fail to understand well demarcations and most of them knowingly or unknowingly get into military areas, and sometimes they are helped by land experts from our municipals,” Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Hamis Kigwangala, said on behalf of Defence Minister, who was not in the house.

The minister was responding to questions from Member of Parliament Asha Abdullah Juma (Special Seats-CCM), who sought to know if the government had plans to end land disputes between military camps and ordinary citizens by setting up strong demarcations. “The government knows it is important to keep separate military barracks so that there is no interference with civilians and other institutions.

Measures that will be taken include building walls or wired fences for small areas but also there is a plan to plant trees in large areas as well as displaying warning posters,” Kingwangalla said.

“The government, through the army has already started planting trees across camps,” he added, urging civilians to refrain from invading areas allocated for army camps.

The Minister also informed the House that heavy ammunitions and explosions were removed from all military camps located close to civil residences and plans are also underway to construct new arsenals in various places across the country.

He said the move sought to avoid tragedies as it was the case during the Mbagala and Gongolamboto explosions, which left tens dead whilst destroying properties.