Tanzania, a nation long celebrated for its relative calm in a turbulent region, is now grappling with a crisis that has upended its image of stability. In the aftermath of the disputed presidential election held on October 29, 2025, a wave of violence and repression has left the East African country reeling, with hundreds feared dead, opposition leaders detained, and the international community watching with growing alarm.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was declared the winner of the election with a staggering 98% of the vote, admitted on November 18 that the country’s global reputation had been “stained” by the unrest. Speaking as she swore in her new cabinet, Samia warned, “The violence could set the country back.” Her words came amid a backdrop of mounting evidence—documented by international news outlets like CNN and BBC—of brutal crackdowns by security forces on protesters, many of whom appeared unarmed or armed only with rocks and sticks.
The scale of the violence is staggering. According to CNN, geolocated videos, forensic audio analysis, and eyewitness accounts reveal that police and gun-wielding men shot at groups of demonstrators across the country. Some of the most harrowing footage, verified by open-source investigators, shows morgues in Mwanza and Dar es Salaam overflowing with bodies in early November. In one particularly disturbing incident, a pregnant woman was fatally shot in the back while running away from police in Arusha, while a young man was shot in the head just meters away. “It was the most inhumane thing ever,” a witness told CNN. “Someone’s mother died while I and others watched.”
The government’s response to the unrest was swift and severe. Authorities imposed a curfew and a five-day internet blackout as protests erupted over the exclusion of key opposition figures from the ballot—most notably Tundu Lissu, who has been in custody since April, charged with treason. The opposition, barred from contesting the election, denounced the process as a “mockery of democracy.” As the blackout lifted, police warned citizens not to share images or videos that could “cause panic,” and government officials initially denied any killings had occurred.
Yet the evidence kept mounting. The United Nations Human Rights Office estimated that hundreds of protesters and civilians were killed, with many more injured or detained. Videos and satellite imagery reviewed by CNN suggest that mass graves may have been used to bury the dead, particularly at Kondo cemetery north of Dar es Salaam. Satellite images from early November show disturbed soil consistent with recent burials, and local human rights groups corroborated reports that bodies of protesters had been buried there.
Personal stories of loss abound. One woman, speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, described searching for her brother’s body at every mortuary in Dar es Salaam after he was killed during the protests. She eventually recognized him in a video from the Mwananyamala Hospital morgue. Viral Scout Management, a local sports management consultancy, reported that seven young soccer players under their contracts were shot and killed at their homes; the bodies of six could not be located.
Eyewitnesses and forensic experts provided chilling details of the violence. Rob Maher, a professor at Montana State University specializing in forensic audio analysis, examined footage from Arusha and determined that police fired on protesters from distances of up to 112 meters. Drone videos from the Segerea and Ubungo areas of Dar es Salaam show armed men in plain clothes, suspected to be police, opening fire on civilians as they fled through backstreets and courtyards. The crackdown was systematic and widespread, targeting not only demonstrators but also bystanders and those sheltering in their homes.
President Samia, who came to power in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, had initially been praised for easing political repression. However, observers note that the political space has since narrowed considerably. At least 240 people were charged with treason in connection with the post-election protests, and key opposition leaders remain behind bars. The president has launched a commission to investigate the unrest, but also suggested that some protesters were paid—an assertion that has drawn skepticism from human rights organizations and the opposition. Her government and the police have not responded to repeated requests for comment from CNN.
The international fallout has been immediate. President Samia herself acknowledged the economic risks, warning her new cabinet that “the stain we brought upon ourselves could now hinder” the country’s ability to secure loans from international creditors. “We mostly depend on loans from international creditors, but what happened eroded our global credibility,” she said, urging her ministers to focus on mobilizing domestic resources and harnessing Tanzania’s natural wealth to weather the coming economic challenges.
In a move that drew both attention and criticism, Samia’s newly sworn-in 27-member cabinet includes her daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, as deputy education minister, while Wanu’s husband, Mohamed Mchengerwa, was appointed health minister. Seven members of the previous cabinet lost their positions in the reshuffle, signaling both continuity and change at the highest levels of government.
Efforts at national reconciliation are now underway. Malawi’s former president, Lazarus Chakwera, is due to arrive in Tanzania for a four-day mission to lead talks between the government and opposition. According to BBC, Chakwera will consult with government officials, political party leaders, civil society groups, religious and traditional leaders, and diplomatic representatives in a bid to restore calm and chart a path forward.
Despite these gestures, the wounds left by the violence are deep and the road to healing remains uncertain. The opposition and many civil society groups continue to demand accountability for the killings and the release of political prisoners. The government, for its part, appears determined to maintain order and project an image of control, even as its credibility is questioned at home and abroad.
For Tanzania, the events of late 2025 mark a turning point. Once a beacon of stability in East Africa, the country now faces the daunting task of rebuilding trust—both among its own citizens and with the wider world. The outcome of the investigations, the fate of the detained, and the success or failure of reconciliation efforts will shape Tanzania’s future for years to come.