Tanzania opposition politicians have asked the East African Community and the African Union to pursue a diplomatic approach to restore peace in Somalia.

The opposition has also criticised the government for being indecisive on whether to send peacekeeping troops to join Amisom, the African Union Mission in Somalia.

NCCR-Mageuzi secretary-general Sam Ruhuza told The EastAfrican that the situation in Mogadishu cannot continue being handled with “kid gloves,” adding, “The East African Community stands to suffer most if Somalia’s unrest continues. We need to take a keener interest in the situation there,” said Mr Ruhuza.

But Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe said a military solution will not work in Somalia.

He said countries sending troops to Mogadishu are opening up themselves to terrorist attacks. “Military action is not the solution. Violence begets violence and more misery,” Mr Mbowe told The EastAfrican.

The solution to the Somalia conflict — now turned religious war — is international diplomacy which should work as a process and not an event to end the civil strife there once and for all.

“We need serious social engines to intervene (in the Mogadishu) strife after studying its root cause and using diplomacy to attack the situation without causing more pain to the people of Somalia,” said Mr Mbowe. He cited recent military actions which have failed to solve political conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistani and Iraq and which have since degenerated into religious conflicts.

Mr Mbowe will not run for the presidency in Tanzania’s October’s general election.

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) had agreed to deploy additional troops to Somalia despite the Uganda bomb attacks on July 11 that left 74 people dead.

The idea is to have 20,000 troops inside the Horn of Africa nation to cover the entire country — additional troops are expected to come from the African Union and the United Nations.