Politics Protests in Tanzania: Opposition raises fears of many deaths
Following the election in Tanzania, the largest opposition party accuses the security forces in the East African country of excessive violence and killing demonstrators during protests.
04.11.2025, 16:09
SDA
"Many of the bodies have bullet wounds to the head," Deogratias Munishi, the secretary of the Chadema party, told the German Press Agency (dpa). Security forces had ruthlessly attacked civilians and fired live ammunition without warning, Munishi said.
Since the protests broke out on Wednesday, there have been fears that hundreds of people may have lost their lives. The opposition even speaks of at least 1,000 dead demonstrators buried in mass graves. The information cannot be verified.
The internet has been blocked for days and the telephone network has been severely disrupted. This also makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the extent of the violence.
According to official results, President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the vote on October 29 with 97.66 percent of the vote. Violent protests against the exclusion of the main opposition candidates had already broken out on election day.
Families should report missing relatives
The authorities of the former German colony (1885-1918) called on the population for the first time on Tuesday to report missing family members to the police. The police said they would help with the identification of bodies and repatriations for funerals.
According to party secretary Munishi, bodies are being collected from roadsides, hospitals and mortuaries in many cities across the country and buried in mass graves. The party is calling for an investigation into the incidents since election day by an independent UN commission.
"The actual number of those killed, injured and arrested during the protests must be officially determined," said Munishi. Chadema's chairman Tundu Lissu was arrested in April and charged with treason after he called for electoral reforms at a political rally.
Tanzania, which is popular with tourists for the Serengeti National Park, the vacation island of Zanzibar and Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, is actually considered one of the more stable countries in the East African region. Hassan vowed to open up the country after taking office in 2021, but has not kept her promise. Her CCM party has ruled the country of around 70 million people since its independence more than 60 years ago.
