The Tanzanian government says comments made by the governor of its largest city Dar es Salaam promising a crackdown and round-up of LGBTI people are the “personal opinion” of governor Paul Makonda not official government policy.

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Last week Makonda said he was establishing a team to hunt down LGBTI people in the city, promising to check social media profiles for signs that people might by homosexuals. The governor said people who were gay would have nowhere to hide and encouraged citizens to report those they suspected of being gay.

Homosexuliaty is punishable by a prison sentance of up to thirty years in the African nation. Makonda had promised to put his surveillance team into action from Monday 5th November.

The country’s foreign minister has distanced the government from his actions and declared that Tanzania respects international treaties it is a signatory to.

“The government of the United Republic of Tanzania would like to clarify that those are his own views and not the government position,” the ministry said in a statement.

The USA has warned its citizens to be cautious when visiting the country and ensure that they remove any references of them supporting or being involved in homesexual activities from the interent.

“Remove or protect images and language that may run afoul of Tanzanian laws regarding homosexual practices and explicit sexual activity,” the USA government said in its latest travel advice.

Australia recommends that people exercise a high degree of caution when visiting the country, highlighting previous crackdowns on LGBTI health providers.

OIP Staff