On October 29, 2025, Tanzania found itself thrust into turmoil as violent protests erupted nationwide during the country’s general elections. What began as scattered demonstrations quickly escalated into widespread unrest, triggering a sweeping government crackdown that has since drawn condemnation from opposition leaders, human rights groups, and international observers alike.
By November 8, Tanzanian authorities had charged hundreds of people with treason for their alleged roles in the protests. According to EFE, an official from the Public Ministry confirmed that the number of those charged had climbed to 240, with initial defendants appearing before the Kisutu Court of First Instance in Dar es Salaam and more following in subsequent days. The charges leveled included treason, conspiracy, vandalism, and destruction of public infrastructure.
Defense attorneys Dickson Matata, Peter Kibatala, and Paul Kisabi told the court that several defendants had been tortured in police custody. They requested hospital transfers for their clients, but Judge Aaron Lyamuya instead ordered medical evaluations to be conducted at prison facilities, mandating that reports on their conditions be submitted to the court. The legal wrangling played out against a backdrop of mounting tension, as police and security agencies intensified their search for additional suspects.
The government’s net soon widened to include senior figures from Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema. Police announced on November 7 that they were seeking the arrest of ten more suspects, including Chadema’s secretary-general John Mnyika, deputy secretary Amani Golugwa, and spokesperson Brenda Rupia. The next day, Golugwa was arrested, making him the third senior Chadema official detained after the earlier arrests of party leader Tundu Lissu and deputy leader John Heche, as reported by Al Jazeera and France 24.
Lawyer Peter Kibatala described the scale of the crackdown to AFP: “More than 250 people were arraigned in three separate cases … and they’re all charged with two sets of offences. The first set of offences is a conspiracy to commit treason. And the second set of offences is treason itself.” The government’s actions, Chadema alleged in a statement on X, were designed to “cripple the Party’s leadership” and “paralyse its operations.” The party further claimed that police were targeting lower-level members, with some being “forced to confess to organising demonstrations.”
The unrest was not confined to Dar es Salaam. Police statements and media reports confirmed that protests erupted in several major cities, including Arusha, Mwanza, and Mbeya, and spread across multiple regions. Security forces responded with tear gas and live ammunition, while the government imposed a nationwide curfew and suspended internet access in an attempt to quell the violence and control the narrative.
Yet, the full scale of the tragedy remains shrouded in uncertainty. While health sources told EFE that at least 150 people were killed in Dar es Salaam alone by October 31, Chadema has claimed that security forces killed more than 1,000 people across the country. The Catholic Church in Tanzania has also spoken out, stating that hundreds were likely killed. The Kenya Human Rights Commission, a watchdog group in the neighboring country, asserted in a statement on November 7 that as many as 3,000 people had been killed, with thousands still missing. The commission even provided pictorial evidence showing many victims “bore head and chest gunshot wounds, leaving no doubt these were targeted killings, not crowd-control actions.”
Chadema has accused the police of collecting corpses from hospitals in an attempt to “erase evidence and statistics.” The Tanganyika Law Society, meanwhile, began distributing forms to help families register missing or presumed dead relatives, citing the government’s refusal to release bodies. Amidst the chaos, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests have also been reported. Amnesty International and other rights groups described a climate of repression before the vote, with extrajudicial killings and intimidation of opposition figures and supporters.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who assumed office in 2021 following the sudden death of her predecessor John Magufuli, was sworn in for a new five-year term on November 3. The National Electoral Commission declared her the winner with a staggering 97.66% of the vote. However, this overwhelming victory was achieved in an election that excluded her two main rivals—Tundu Lissu and Luhaga Mpina—both of whom were barred from running. Hassan ultimately faced 16 candidates from smaller parties, a fact that has fueled allegations of an unfair playing field.
International observers have not been silent. The African Union (AU) released a statement this week concluding that the election “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.” AU observers reported ballot stuffing at several polling stations and cases where voters were issued multiple ballots. The environment, they said, was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes.”
Single-party rule has long been a feature of Tanzanian politics. Since the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1992, the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party—whose roots go back to independence from Britain in 1961—has maintained a firm grip on power. Critics point out that while previous leaders tolerated some opposition, Hassan has been accused of ruling with an authoritarian style that leaves little room for dissent. Her government’s close ties to the Communist Party of China have also drawn attention, as has the continued dominance of CCM despite mounting calls for reform from youth-led democracy movements and civil society groups.
The crackdown on Chadema has been particularly severe. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, has been jailed for several months, facing treason charges after calling for electoral reforms. Other top officials, including communications director Brenda Rupia and secretary-general John Mnyika, remain wanted by authorities. The government, for its part, has dismissed allegations of mass killings and repression as exaggerated, refusing to release an official death toll or provide public accounting for those detained or missing.
As Tanzania enters a new political era under President Hassan’s continued rule, many questions linger. The government’s aggressive response to dissent, the chilling reports of targeted killings, and the international community’s rebuke have left the country at a crossroads. Whether the voices of the opposition and civil society will find space in Tanzania’s political landscape—or be further marginalized—remains to be seen.
For now, the scars of the October 29 election and its violent aftermath are likely to shape Tanzania’s future for years to come.
