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Tanzania reels from election violence as international condemnation grows
Tanzania is confronting its worst post-election crisis in decades, with deadly protests, disputed results, and rare rebuke from African regional bodies shattering its long-held reputation for stability. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, sworn in for a second term on Monday, defended the vote as "fair and transparent" but acknowledged fatalities during unrest-blaming foreign interference for the turmoil.
Unprecedented unrest and a contested victory
Official death tolls remain unverified, but families continue to mourn or search for relatives killed in protests following the October election, which handed Hassan 98% of the vote. The violence marks a stark departure for a nation once seen as a regional bastion of peace, analysts say.
"Samia has plunged Tanzania into a winter of instability and uncertainty," said Kenyan policy analyst Prof. Peter Kagwanja in an interview with the BBC. The protests, led largely by youth, echo global Gen Z movements against entrenched leadership, he noted.
Years of simmering discontent erupt
Analysts trace the crisis to a toxic mix of stalled reforms, youth frustration, and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party's crackdown on dissent. Political cartoonist Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado) called the unrest "a culmination of bottled-up anger," while veteran journalist Jenerali Ulimwengu described it as "societal pressures boiling over after decades of neglect."
"CCM confused silence for peace, not realizing it was the quiet of exhaustion," wrote commentator Charles Onyango-Obbo, accusing the party of mistaking "calm for maturity-when it was just age and arrogance."
The election itself was marred by the exclusion of key opposition figures: Tundu Lissu remains detained on treason charges he denies, while Luhaga Mpina's candidacy was rejected on technicalities. Critics argue these moves undermined Tanzania's democratic legacy, rooted in its post-colonial identity under founding President Julius Nyerere.
From reform promises to repression
Hassan, initially praised for her conciliatory "4R" agenda (reconciliation, resilience, rebuilding, reform), faced mounting pressure as her 2024 re-election bid approached. Analysts say she adopted harder tactics-reshuffling cabinets, purging security chiefs, and centralizing power-to neutralize rivals within CCM and the opposition.
"She followed Magufuli's playbook: manipulating the party, sidelining dissent, and surrounding herself with loyalists," said Kagwanja, referencing her predecessor's authoritarian rule. Nicknamed "Simba jike" ("lioness"), Hassan secured CCM's nomination in January, but her victory was overshadowed by pre-election abductions, arrests, and an internet blackout.
International isolation and a shattered image
The African Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) broke with diplomatic norms to condemn the election, citing ballot-stuffing, repression, and systemic flaws. The main opposition party, Chadema, dismissed the results as "fabricated."
"Samia's challenge wasn't winning-it was proving the election was fair. She chose coronation over contest," Kagwanja said.
As Hassan begins her second term, observers warn of deepening international scrutiny and eroded legitimacy. "The myth of Tanzanian exceptionalism is dead," Onyango-Obbo concluded.
What's next
With opposition leaders jailed or sidelined and no official death toll released, the path to reconciliation remains unclear. Regional bodies may impose diplomatic penalties, while domestic tensions persist amid unanswered calls for accountability.
