Introduction

The use of fire by terrorists as a strategic weapon to target the population and instill fear, hatred, property devastation, economic losses, and attract press attention is not something new. As Jenkins said in 1974, "terrorist attacks are usually choreographed to attract the attention of the international press and local media, therefore terrorism is theatre." During the past five decades, the world has experienced several "set fires" that were done intentionally by terrorist groups against the civilian population. On March 25th, 1990, an arsonist was reported by the U.S. who set the fire intentionally at the Happy Land Night Club, which caused heavy destruction and the deaths of several people.

ISIS publicly asserted in May 2019 that they were responsible for a series of wildfires, including the destruction and death toll of the 2018 California inferno. In recent years, a number of wildfires have occurred around the world, notably the forest fires in Turkey in 2021, which the Turkish government and citizens blamed on the PKK terrorist organization. As a form of vengeance against Turkey's government, the PKK terrorist organization is infamous for setting fire to Turkey's forests, resulting in civilian deaths and environmental harm. Wildfires in Australia, Greece, and other countries have all had comparable instances.

Is the United Republic of Tanzania at significant threat of arson-terrorist attacks?

Arson is an easy and cheap terror tactic that terrorists use with the intent of causing fear, economic depression, and potential casualties. Arson gives a chance to terror groups and movements that are searching for low-cost, low-skill, and efficient methods of attack to cause casualties and economic losses while putting the population, government, and security officials on the margin of when and where the secret fire setting will occur next. It is also a prime tactic for groups that want to remain anonymous while pushing their agenda and avoid raising suspicion by using firearms. Factory buildings, schools, markets, universities, banks, apartment buildings, churches, forests, and other business structures are apparently common targets for arson.

In Tanzania, increasing fire events have wreaked havoc on the civilian population, national security, and government authorities. Since 2020, the country has experienced multiple fire occurrences in various regions, resulting in deaths, serious property damage, injuries, and economic devastation among the civilian population and government.

Surprisingly, such events continue to rise on a daily basis. More than six major fire events have been reported in the country in less than six months, all of which occurred suddenly in business structures, religious institutions, schools, bars, hotels, and tourist places, causing irreparable damage. With regard to security investigations, officials state that the majority of fires are the result of negligence and faulty electrical wiring, although some investigation findings are still pending. (See, for example, Karume market fire-2022, Kariakoo market fire-2021, Fire in 4 Tourist Zanzibar Hotels-2021, Mount Kilimanjaro fire-2021, etc).

But, isn't it more than just negligence and poor wiring that the government and security officials should be more wary of now, following a string of inexplicable fire occurrences that the country is currently experiencing? I hope that the current fire breakout at Karume market serves as a timely reminder to the leadership and security of the United Republic of Tanzania that the continual outbreak of fire incidents in the country is something that must not be taken lightly.

Conclusion

A complete understanding of fire as a weapon is key when addressing this emerging threat. It is also important to note that fire is an appealing weapon that terrorists prefer to use for many reasons. The security officials must broaden their investigation to meet the issue with high intelligence, which will necessitate new policies and partnerships. Security officials must rethink the way they have approached this emerging threat from the beginning with an open mind in order to develop an effective course of action and strategies to countermeasure the situation before it’s too late. It's also worth noting that terrorists often use fire attacks as a way to divert the government's and security attention away from their larger plans. Finally, it's important to remember that terrorism's essence and goal are both political.

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