The aftermath of Tanzania’s October 29, 2025, general election has plunged the country into its most severe political crisis in decades, with allegations of mass killings, widespread arrests, and a government crackdown that has drawn urgent calls for accountability from the international community. As the world watches, the United Nations and a chorus of regional and religious leaders are demanding answers—and justice—for the hundreds, if not thousands, believed to have died in the post-election turmoil.
On November 11 and 12, 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Office publicly called for an independent investigation into what it described as credible reports of mass killings and other grave human rights violations during and after Tanzania’s disputed election. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk did not mince words, stating, “Reports of families desperately searching everywhere for their loved ones, visiting one police station after another and one hospital after another, are harrowing.” According to the BBC and Associated Press, Türk accused Tanzanian authorities of attempting to conceal evidence by moving victims’ bodies from mortuaries to undisclosed locations, and he pressed for the immediate release of bodies to families for proper burial.
The scale of the violence remains contested. The main opposition party, Chadema, claims that about 2,000 people were killed during three days of protests that erupted after the poll, while other opposition figures and human rights activists put the number at over 1,000. Diplomatic sources in Dar es Salaam told the BBC that at least 500 deaths have been “credibly documented.” The United Nations, unable to verify the full toll due to the volatile situation and a six-day internet blackout that followed the vote, stated that “hundreds” are believed to have died, though it has only been able to confirm at least 10 deaths in three cities so far. The government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan has dismissed these figures as “gross exaggerations,” but notably has not provided its own official count.
The violence, as reported by Firstpost and other outlets, was punctuated by night raids in opposition strongholds like Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Mwanza, with witnesses describing security forces firing on peaceful demonstrators and removing bodies from city streets and hospitals. Hospitals were quickly overwhelmed, and families searching for missing relatives said authorities refused to release information about those detained or killed. Rights groups, including the African Union Election Observation Mission, accused the government of using excessive force and suppressing dissent, with the AU’s preliminary report highlighting a “restricted political environment” and arrests of opposition leaders as factors that compromised the credibility of the electoral process.
President Hassan’s landslide victory—she was declared the winner with a staggering 98% of the vote—was immediately denounced by opposition parties as a “sham,” amid allegations of ballot tampering, intimidation, and the barring of presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties. The government’s swift imposition of a nationwide curfew and internet blackout further fueled suspicions that authorities were trying to stifle dissent and obscure the true scale of the crackdown. According to the Associated Press, the UN rights chief expressed grave concern that the government’s actions pointed to “an apparent attempt to conceal evidence” of mass killings.
In a particularly poignant moment, Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi condemned the violence at a prayer service in Dar es Salaam, calling the killings a “disgrace before God” and warning that “the punishment for protest cannot be death.” The Catholic Church, along with other religious and civil society leaders, has demanded justice, warning that there can be no peace without accountability for the bloodshed. “There would be no peace without justice,” the Church declared, echoing the mood of a nation at a crossroads.
Meanwhile, the government’s response has been to double down on security measures and legal reprisals against its critics. Since election day, more than 150 people—including minors—have reportedly been arrested, many under unclear legal provisions. On November 7, prosecutors charged at least 145 people with treason over their alleged involvement in the protests, and more than 170 others were charged with protest-related offenses. Among those charged is Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, who remains in custody and was excluded from the presidential ballot—an exclusion widely cited as one of the main triggers of the unrest. Influential preacher Josephat Gwajima, whose church was deregistered earlier this year after he criticized the government’s human rights record, is also among those targeted by authorities. Police have issued arrest warrants for several other top opposition officials who have not yet been detained.
Despite mounting international condemnation, President Hassan has rejected criticism of her government’s human rights record and defended the fairness of the election. During her closed-door inauguration ceremony at a military base in Dodoma on November 3—a ceremony barred to the public and foreign press—she dismissed external criticism as “unwarranted interference.” Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit echoed this stance, calling reports of mass killings “a few isolated incidents” and insisting that the government remained committed to peace. He also defended the internet shutdown as necessary “to prevent false information.”
However, diplomatic missions from the European Union, United States, and others have expressed alarm over the violence, urging Tanzanian authorities to restore communications, allow independent investigations, and uphold human rights. Regional organizations, including the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Commonwealth, have all highlighted systemic repression and legal barriers that prevent judicial review of presidential results. The African Union, led by former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, concluded that the Tanzanian polls failed to meet regional and international democratic standards, citing “excessive use of force,” opposition arrests, and a restricted political environment.
In a rare move, Tanzanian police released four senior opposition leaders on bail on November 11, including Chadema Vice Chairman John Heche and Deputy Secretary-General Amani Golugwa, after their arrest related to the protests. But Chadema leader Tundu Lissu remains in detention, charged with treason since April, and the government continues to pursue legal action against hundreds more. Last year, President Hassan ordered an investigation into reported abductions of critics, but no findings have been made public.
As Tanzania stands at a crossroads, the demands for justice and accountability grow louder. The UN’s Volker Türk has urged Tanzanian authorities to “fully and transparently” investigate all allegations of killings, torture, and arbitrary detention, and to hold perpetrators accountable. “It is essential that all those arrested or detained on criminal charges are promptly presented before a judicial officer and can effectively contest the lawfulness of their detention,” Türk said, emphasizing the need for strict adherence to international due process standards.
The world is watching, and the future of Tanzanian democracy may well hinge on whether those in power heed these calls for truth and justice—or continue down the path of repression and concealment.
