On November 14, 2025, Tanzania took a significant step towards addressing a turbulent chapter in its recent history. President Samia Suluhu Hassan stood before parliament and announced the launch of a formal inquiry into the deadly unrest that followed the country’s October 29th presidential election. The move comes amid mounting pressure from opposition groups, international observers, and Tanzanian citizens who have called for accountability and reconciliation after what many have described as an unprecedented wave of violence in a nation long regarded as a bastion of political stability in East Africa.
The days following the election were marked by widespread protests, with opposition parties claiming that hundreds of people were killed—allegedly at the hands of security forces—during the demonstrations. According to BBC and Al Jazeera, the government has yet to release an official death toll, fueling speculation and deepening mistrust among the public. The opposition, led by the Chadema party, has been vocal in its demands, labeling the official election results—President Hassan was declared the winner with more than 97 percent of the vote—as a "mockery of democracy." The scale of the protests and the severity of the government’s response have shocked many observers, both inside and outside Tanzania.
In the aftermath of the unrest, hundreds of Tanzanians were arrested over a three-day period. Many of those detained were young people, some of whom now face serious charges including treason. Al Jazeera reports that at least 240 individuals have been charged with treason, a charge that carries severe penalties under Tanzanian law. President Hassan, acknowledging the gravity of the situation, told parliament, “I am aware that many young people have been arrested and charged with treason. They did not fully understand what they were getting involved in.” She continued, “As a mother and guardian of this nation, I am directing law-enforcement agencies, especially the DPP’s office, to show leniency.” Quoting the Bible, she added, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
President Hassan’s remarks were not made in a vacuum. They came just days after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, publicly urged Tanzanian authorities to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the reports of killings and other serious human rights violations during and after the election. The international community has watched events in Tanzania with growing concern, noting that the country’s reputation for political calm has been severely tested by the recent upheaval.
The president’s announcement of a commission of inquiry is intended to address these concerns. According to Reuters, the inquiry will examine the issues that led to the unrest and help inform reconciliation and peace efforts that her government has pledged to undertake. “The inquiry would look into issues that led to the unrest and help inform reconciliation and peace efforts the government has pledged to undertake,” President Hassan told parliament. She also acknowledged the demands of opposition party Chadema for constitutional reforms, promising that her administration would embark on a reform process within its first 100 days.
The roots of the unrest, as reported by multiple outlets, can be traced to the exclusion of presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties. Many young people began demonstrating on election day itself, protesting what they saw as a deliberate attempt to stifle democratic competition. The government’s response—swift, forceful, and, according to opposition leaders, excessively violent—sparked outrage and further galvanized the protest movement. The scenes of chaos and confrontation that played out across the country were a jarring departure from Tanzania’s usual political climate.
Despite the gravity of the situation, President Hassan has sought to strike a conciliatory tone. In addition to ordering the release of some protesters, she expressed forgiveness towards those who joined the demonstrations out of peer pressure. “As a mother,” she said, “I have forgiven those who joined the demonstrations out of peer pressure.” This gesture, while welcomed by some, has done little to satisfy critics who argue that more substantive action is needed to address the underlying causes of the unrest and to hold those responsible for violence accountable.
Opposition parties, for their part, continue to insist that the government must do more than simply investigate the violence. They have called for sweeping constitutional reforms to ensure that future elections are free, fair, and genuinely competitive. President Hassan has indicated her willingness to engage in this process, pledging to revive efforts to draft a new national constitution and calling on political parties to participate in dialogue on how politics should be conducted peacefully in Tanzania. “President Samia called for political parties to engage in peaceful dialogue and pledged to revive efforts to draft a new national constitution,” reported The Guardian.
The stakes are high for Tanzania’s young democracy. The country has long been viewed as a model of political stability in the region, but the events of the past month have cast a shadow over that reputation. The government’s handling of the protests, the allegations of excessive force, and the lack of transparency regarding the death toll have all contributed to a sense of crisis. At the same time, President Hassan’s willingness to launch an inquiry and her calls for forgiveness and dialogue have opened the door—at least rhetorically—to a process of national healing.
Still, many questions remain. Will the commission of inquiry have the independence and authority needed to uncover the truth about what happened during the post-election unrest? Will those responsible for violence—regardless of their political affiliation—be held accountable? And will the government follow through on its promises to reform the constitution and create a more inclusive political system?
For now, Tanzanians are left to wait and watch as the process unfolds. The coming weeks and months will be critical in determining whether the country can move beyond this period of turmoil and restore its reputation for peace and stability. As President Hassan herself acknowledged, the path to reconciliation will not be easy. But with the eyes of the world upon Tanzania, and with the hopes of its people hanging in the balance, the pressure to deliver real change has never been greater.
In the end, the true test of Tanzania’s democracy will not be found in the words of its leaders, but in the actions they take—and in the willingness of all sides to come together in pursuit of a more just and peaceful future.
