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Officials in Tanzania have launched a surveillance task force to hunt down and "round up" members of the LGBT+ community within its borders.

Governor Paul Makonda today announced the creation of a new surveillance squad dedicated to hunting down gay people in the major city of Dar es Salaam, and told reporters "round-ups" would begin next week.

The crackdown comes amid a harsh repression of opposition parties in the country and numerous disappearances, sparking human rights concerns from the international community.

Now a new team is said to scrutinise social media for "homosexual acts" and arrest people in same-sex couples.

Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania, and homophobia has been increasingly prevalent since the election of President John Magufuli, who is known for anti-gay rhetoric, in 2015.

Some 17 officers from the Tanzania Communications Authority and police and media practitioners would be brought in to run the "round-ups".

The government has called for people to inform on each other, and said anyone who has "carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature" is punishable by 30 years in prison.

Many gay, lesbian and transgender people are forced to hide their sexuality, and Mr Makonda called on the country's deputy health minister to "give me their names", after previously threatening to publish a list of known homosexuals.

"I prefer to anger those countries than to anger God," he said, referring to the expected anger around the rest of the world.

HIV clinics in the country have been forced to close, and the regime has made strict warnings for people to delete naked photos from their phones in a parallel crackdown on pornography.

Mr Makonda told reporters on Monday: "I have received reports that there are so many homosexuals in our city, and these homosexuals, are advertising and selling their services on the internet.

"Therefore, I am announcing this to every citizen of Dar es Salaam. If you know any gays... report them to me," he added during a news conference in Swahili.

Thousands of gay and transgender people are said to be hiding in fear since the announcement. Some said they were too scared to go outside during the day, while others had left their homes fearing imminent arrest.

"Since Monday, I have left my place and have been moving here and there. I am always looking over my shoulder in case they coming for me," Nathan, 24, said.

"There's so much tension within the gay community at the moment. Not just in Dar, but all over the country. We are really scared. We don't know what to do and where to go."

"I haven't left my house during the day for the last four days. I am scared to death," said 19-year-old sex worker Michael, from the northeastern city of Arusha,

"We have no one to protect us. We ask the United Nations and other countries to help us to go somewhere else where we do not have to hide in fear."

Deniz Nzioka, a journalist on sexuality issues in East Africa told the Standard the threat of "round-ups" was just the latest development in a trend which has swept the region.

He said: "It has been difficult for LGBT people in TZ ever since President Magufuli came to power. Since cracking down on foreign donors, the media and other human rights organisations, it was only a matter of time before his administration trained its eyes on LGBT people.

"We have seen a number of anti gay rhetoric from politicians and police, state-sanctioned raids on LGBT offices, arrests and public statements meant to instil fear.

"We had a vibrant queer organising community in TZ a few years back - they are now forced to hide, avoid using social media, and live in fear of being reported to police."

The anti-gay agenda has become a political tool for leaders seeking a popular vote, Mr Nzioka added, already used in Gambia, Uganda, Nigeria and Cameroon to inflame hatred of marginalised groups.

"Politicians, often to side with the majority, and usually around election time, would target, profile, and fan anti gay, anti sex, anti foreigner, anti-Western messaging," he said, "just to get support and consolidate a voting base, from the church, traditional leaders, and secular leaders."

But there "isn't an iota of evidence" that the "thousands of names" supposedly reported to police are genuine, added the Kenyan journalist.

"We cannot authenticate these names or persons reported to the Commissioner.

"There is no iota of evidence to warrant a conviction based on a complaint someone made about you.

"A culture of impunity is being created, where people will report on each other just because they had a fight, or they don't like each other.

"I don't like you, so I'll tell the police you're gay," he added. "It's sad, but it's being used to settle scores."