Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in Tanzania during three days of violent protests that erupted after Wednesday’s general election, the country’s main opposition party has claimed.
The opposition Chadema party told AFP that “around 700 people” have been killed in clashes with security forces across the country, while a diplomatic source in Dar es Salaam told the BBC that credible evidence suggests at least 500 deaths.
A nationwide internet shutdown has made it difficult to independently verify the figures, with hospitals reportedly overwhelmed and authorities refusing to release information about casualties.
The Tanzanian government has sought to downplay the scale of the violence, extending a curfew in several regions in a bid to quell the unrest. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit described the situation as “a few isolated pockets of incidents here and there,” insisting that security forces “acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation.”
However, eyewitness accounts and opposition statements paint a far grimmer picture. Protests have spread across major cities, including Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, and Arusha, with demonstrators — many of them young people — taking to the streets to denounce what they call a “stolen election.”
The protesters accuse the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party of manipulating the polls by jailing or disqualifying key opposition figures, including Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, who was excluded on what his supporters call “technical grounds.”
Despite warnings from the army chief, demonstrations continued into Friday, as anger over alleged electoral fraud intensified.
A hospital source in Dar es Salaam told the BBC that facilities had been “overwhelmed with casualties” since Thursday and that morgues were full. Chadema’s Director of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, John Kitoka, said he feared for his life, alleging that “massacres are being carried out at night when no one is there to witness them.”
“Security forces are tracking down our leaders; some have had to leave the country. These people kill with impunity,” Kitoka told BBC Newshour.
International concern is mounting. The United Nations has urged Tanzanian authorities to avoid “unnecessary use of force,” while the UK, Canada, and Norway issued a joint statement calling on the government to respect freedom of expression and demonstrate “maximum restraint.”
In Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago that elects its own president, incumbent Hussein Mwinyi of CCM was declared the winner with nearly 80% of the vote. The opposition there has rejected the results, alleging “massive fraud,” according to the Associated Press.
Tourists on the island are reportedly stranded as flight disruptions caused by protests and the internet blackout delay departures.
Official results from the mainland vote are expected on Saturday, though President Samia Suluhu Hassan — Tanzania’s first female head of state — is widely expected to secure victory under CCM, which has ruled since independence in 1961.
Samia, who took office in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli, was initially praised for easing political repression, but critics now say her government has reverted to authoritarian tactics, targeting journalists, opposition members, and activists.
As Tanzania braces for the official announcement, the internet remains down, streets are heavily patrolled, and fears are growing that the death toll could rise further.
About The Author
