News

By Jackson Isdory, CMU

The University of Dar es Salaam has once again demonstrated its academic excellence by securing a resounding victory in the National Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) held at the University of Dodoma recently.

The event, organised by the prestigious International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), saw UDSM's School of Law (UDSoL) team claim the top honours after two days of intense competition from 27^th to 28^th July 2023.

The UDSM team comprised of three excellent law students, namely Naomi A. Kileo, Naomi Mwalyambi and Magreth Augustine Mrema, stood out among the participants from eight prominent Tanzanian higher learning institutions.

The competing universities in this years’ edition of the Tanzania IHL Moot Court Competition included the University of Dodoma (UDOM), St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Tumaini University Makumira, Mzumbe University, Tumaini University Dar es Salaam College (TUDARCo), University of Iringa, Ruaha Catholic University (RUCU), and University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).

With their careful preparation, dedication, and profound understanding of International Humanitarian Law, the UDSM team emerged as the indomitable champions, leaving a long-lasting impression to both the judges and their peers. Their triumph highlighted not only their legal acumen but also the solid commitment of UDSM to academic excellence.

Flying high the University flag

Speaking during the breakfast talk with UDSM Moot Technical Team and winners on 1st August 2023, Prof. William A. L. Anangisye, UDSM Vice Chancellor, expressed his gratitude to the UDSM School of Law and Moot Court Team for flying high the university’s flag.

“The resounding success of the UDSM team in the National Moot Court Competition has once again demonstrated the university's dedication to nurturing exceptional talent and preparing students for real-world challenges,” said Prof. Anangisye.

Commenting on the momentous victory, Prof. Bonaventure Rutinwa, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor-Academic, expressed his immense pride for the university's exceptional students. He acknowledged that the success in the Moot Court competition was a testament to UDSM's unparalleled expertise in various disciplines taught at the university.

“This achievement showcases the outstanding commitment and dedication of the University of Dar es Salaam, not only in International Humanitarian Law but across all the programmes offered”, Prof. Rutinwa remarked.

The victory has opened up new avenues of opportunity for the triumphant UDSM team as they will proudly represent Tanzania at the prestigious upcoming All African Moot Court Competition that will take place in November this year. This international stage will provide them with a platform to exhibit their legal prowess and further elevate the reputation of UDSM.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sosteness Materu, the Dean of the UDSM School of Law, lauded the winning team and extended his appreciation to the entire UDSoL Moot Court team, students and their coordinator Dr. Petro Protas, for their remarkable efforts and dedication.

He wished the students the best of luck in the forthcoming international competition as the University and the nation at large, eagerly anticipating them to emerge victorious at the continental race.

The prestigious competition on IHL started in 2013 under the organization of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The respective winning Universities in each African country get the opportunity to represent their country at the continental level in all Africa IHL Moot Court Competitions which have a long history dated as far back as 2001.

Shining at the International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court

In May 2023, again, three of UDSoL students performed marvelously  in the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition which was held in Vienna, Austria.

The three victorious UDSM Bachelor of Laws (LLB) students, who also met the Vice Chancellor on 1st August, 2023, were Ms. Getrude Naphatali Makunganya, Ms. Elaine Bawazir, and Mr. Joseph Isaac Masangula.

In this competition, which took place from 31st March to 6th April 2023 and drew more than 2500 students from 89 countries who were divided into 378 teams, the three students won a chance to participate in the second phase after excelling in the written rounds conducted remotely.