DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Three suspects in connection with the brutal killings of children in Njombe region appeared in a Tanzanian court on Tuesday charged with the murder of the children.
Appearing before the Njombe Resident Magistrate's Court were Joel Joseph Nziku, Nasson Alfred Kaduma and Alphonce Edward Danda.
Security was tight when the three suspects were brought before the court.
Six vehicles carrying armed police officers escorted the vehicle carrying the suspects all the way from Makambako, 60 kilometers from Njombe town, where they had been held since they were arrested in connection with the killings of the innocent children.
Authorities have confirmed that at least 10 children have been killed in Njombe in a period of one month and that the killers were also chopping off the children's reproductive and respiratory organs, linking the killings to superstitious beliefs.
Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola told Parliament last week that at least 29 people, including businessmen and some traditional healers, had been arrested in connection with the killings.
The United Nations office in Tanzania has condemned the attack and murder of the children, saying children have a fundamental right to be safe and be protected from violence so that they can enjoy their childhood and reach their full potential.
On Monday, Tanzania's Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), General Venance Mabeyo, said the army has reinforced efforts aimed at ending the brutal killings of children in the country's southern highlands.
General Mabeyo held closed-door talks with members of the Njombe region defense and security committee on how to contain the killings.
"We need to end the killings of children as a matter of urgency," the army chief told a news conference after the meeting.
The talks were also attended by members of a special force that has been deployed in the region to investigate and arrest the mastermind of the killings associated with superstitious beliefs.
Mabeyo said the killings have tarnished the image of Njombe to the rest of Tanzania and beyond. Mabeyo called for calm among Njombe residents as authorities investigated the root cause of the killings and brought the culprits to book.