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Hundreds killed in Tanzania's post-election unrest as police open fire on protesters
Warning: This report contains graphic descriptions of violence. Tanzanian security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators during last month's disputed elections, leaving hundreds dead and many more injured, according to verified footage and UN reports. The crackdown, which unfolded amid a government-imposed internet blackout, targeted youth-led protests decrying decades of single-party dominance.
Graphic footage reveals scale of violence
Videos emerging after a week-long internet shutdown show uniformed officers firing into crowds, bodies strewn across streets, and injured protesters being carried away. In one verified clip from Arusha, a woman in a purple jacket collapses after being shot, her blood pooling on the ground as bystanders plead, "Mama, mama, stand." Another scene captures a motionless body with a head wound near the Open University of Tanzania, later wrapped in cloth and loaded onto a truck as onlookers chant "Killers, killers" at armed police.
Audio forensics experts confirmed the use of live rounds, noting that supersonic shockwaves in the recordings-absent in rubber bullet discharges-indicate lethal force. "The presence of these shockwaves... indicates the use of live rounds," analysts from Earshot stated.
Protests erupt nationwide over election fairness
The unrest began on 29 October in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's economic hub, before spreading to cities like Mwanza and Arusha. Protesters, predominantly young men, clashed with heavily armed police who blocked highways and fired tear gas. Key flashpoints included Morogoro Road, where multiple bodies were filmed near St Andrew's Anglican Church, and the Kijitonyama district, where officers in green uniforms-matching Tanzanian police gear-were recorded firing along streets. One video shows a man with a fatal head wound as voices shout, "They have killed [him]."
In Mwanza, 700 miles northwest, footage from Sekou Toure Hospital revealed 10 bodies-all young men-piled in the morgue, some with visible gunshot wounds. The UN's human rights office (OHCHR) reported hundreds of deaths, while a diplomatic source told the BBC at least 500 people were killed. Thousands more were injured or detained.
Government response: Blackout, arrests, and calls for leniency
Authorities suppressed footage for nearly a week by cutting internet access and threatening jail for anyone sharing protest videos. The blackout lifted on 4 November, flooding social media with evidence of the crackdown. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan, declared winner with 98% of the vote, called for an "official investigation" and urged prosecutors to show "leniency" toward detainees. Opposition leaders had been arrested or barred from running ahead of the election.
"The government must conduct a transparent investigation into these killings and immediately release all those arbitrarily detained."
Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Youth-led movement mirrors global frustration
Analysts draw parallels between Tanzania's protests and broader Gen-Z activism across Africa, where young people increasingly challenge economic decline and entrenched leadership. The demonstrations, initially peaceful, escalated after police deployed live fire. Some videos also show armed men in civilian clothing-unidentified-firing near protests in Dar es Salaam's Sam Nujoma Road.
What's next: Calls for accountability
The UN and human rights groups demand an independent probe into the violence, including the role of security forces and the use of lethal force. Tanzanian authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations. The government and police did not reply to requests for comment.
