Oct 31 – At least 10 people have been killed in Tanzania during election-related protests that entered a third day on Friday, as security forces enforced an extended curfew and authorities maintained an internet shutdown that has made it difficult to verify the full scale of the violence.
The UN Human Rights Office said it had received “credible” reports of at least 10 deaths linked to the protests and warned the toll could be higher because of the communications blackout. “We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania,” UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango said, urging security agencies to stop using unnecessary or disproportionate force.
Despite a warning from army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda that the military would “work with other security agencies to contain the situation”, protesters again took to the streets of Dar es Salaam and other major towns to denounce Wednesday’s general election, which they say was neither fair nor competitive after key opposition figures were barred from running against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Demonstrations have been reported in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Dodoma, with mainly young protesters accusing the government of undermining democracy by jailing leading opposition figure Tundu Lissu on treason charges and disqualifying another serious challenger, Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, on technical grounds. With the main rivals out, 16 fringe candidates were cleared to contest, effectively easing the path for Samia and the long-ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
An overnight curfew first imposed on Wednesday was extended, and residents said movement remained heavily restricted in parts of the commercial capital on Friday, with police and soldiers mounting roadblocks. Hospitals have declined to give casualty details to journalists and rights groups, fuelling concerns that the number of people killed or injured could be higher than officially acknowledged. Amnesty International in Kenya said it could not independently confirm the deaths because of the internet disruption.
State broadcaster TBC has largely downplayed the unrest and continued to air provisional results from more than half of the country’s 100 constituencies, showing President Samia on course for re-election under CCM, which has ruled Tanzania since independence in 1961. Final results are expected on Saturday.
Religious leaders also voiced concern. Tanzania’s chief Muslim cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally, advised worshippers to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of further clashes.
On the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, the electoral commission said incumbent CCM president Hussein Ali Mwinyi had secured nearly 80% of the vote, but the opposition there alleged “massive fraud”. Tourists were reported stranded because of flight delays linked to the mainland unrest.
Samia, who became Tanzania’s first female president in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli, was initially credited with easing political tensions, but activists say the political space has narrowed again, with opponents facing arrests, abductions and restrictions on expression — now capped by an election many Tanzanians say did not give them a real choice.
