Johnson Progress

Protests roiled Tanzania for a third straight day Friday, as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police in the commercial capital after a disputed general election that left President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two main challengers barred from the ballot.

 

The government responded by deploying military forces, imposing a curfew, shutting down the internet and broadcasting partial results that showed Hassan winning commanding majorities.

 

The unrest began on Wednesday, when young people, angered by the limited election choices and the harassment of opposition leaders, set fire to several vehicles and a petrol station.

 

In Dar es Salaam’s neighborhoods of Mbagala, Gongo la Mboto and Kiluvya, protesters defied the curfew, and security forces answered with tear gas and gunfire, according to witnesses.

 

“We have been silent for so long,” one protester shouted in a video posted to TikTok and verified by Al Jazeera, “What have we been doing?”

 

Amnesty International reported at least two deaths linked to the violence, calling the killings “deeply disturbing.”

 

The organization’s regional director, Tigere Chagutah, urged a “thorough and independent investigation into the unlawful use of lethal force” and demanded that perpetrators be held accountable.

 

The main opposition party, CHADEMA, which was disqualified in April for refusing to sign a code of conduct, claimed the death toll is far higher.

 

Party spokesperson John Kitoka told Reuters that “around 700 people” have died, based on hospital visits, and said the party will keep protesting until electoral reforms are enacted.

 

“We are calling for the protests to continue until our demands for electoral reforms are met,” Kitoka said.

 

Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo downplayed the violence, describing it as “very few small pockets of incidents” caused by “criminal elements.”

 

He added, “Most Tanzanians are so much disappointed with what has happened, and they are calling for their government to end this impunity,” and insisted that “no excessive force has been used.”

 

The U.N human rights office confirmed “credible reports” of at least 10 fatalities in Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga and Morogoro.

 

U.N. Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres, through his spokesperson, called “for a thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of excessive use of force” and deplored the loss of life.

 

State media continued to broadcast provisional results, with Hassan securing nearly 98 % of the vote and a turnout of about 87 %.

 

The electoral commission also disqualified the ACT‑Wazalendo candidate, leaving only minor parties to contest.

 

Critics, including European Parliament members, have labeled the election a “fraud” and warned of an “atmosphere of repression, intimidation, and fear.”

 

The crisis tests Hassan, who earned praise for easing repression after 2021 but now faces growing accusations of renewed crackdowns, abductions and restrictions on media.

 

The military has pledged to “control the situation,” and a nationwide curfew remains in place as colleges and universities postpone reopening.

 

With internet access still disrupted, protesters are using apps like Zello to coordinate, while hospitals report an influx of wounded.

 

The international community Britain, Canada, Norway and the EU has urged maximum restraint and respect for assembly and free expression.

 

The next days will determine whether the government can restore calm or whether the protests will force deeper electoral reforms.