What You Need to Know
A Tanzanian government-appointed commission reported that at least 518 people died during last October’s election violence, a figure disputed by opposition parties. Key opposition figures were barred from running, leading to protests that were violently suppressed. The report has been rejected by opposition leaders who claim it lacks transparency and does not reflect the true scale of the violence
Africa-Press – Tanzania. In a finding that is at odds with the tally by opposition parties, a Tanzanian government-appointed commission of inquiry says at least 518 people died in last October’s election violence.
Key opposition figures were barred from running in the presidential and parliamentary polls, triggering days of protests that were brutally suppressed by security forces.
Opposition and religious groups say thousands were killed by security forces, while Western diplomats have given estimates of between 1,000 and 2,000.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who won the election with 98% of the vote, has sought to depict the protests as pre-planned and implied they were orchestrated by foreigners.
she said after the report was presented.
She argued that Africa’s internal wars were usually instigated by outsiders who want
The report was immediately dismissed by the opposition.
said John Kitoka, head of foreign affairs for the Chadema opposition party.
Ado Shaibu, a member of parliament for the ACT-Wazalendo opposition party said the report lacked transparency.
he said.
Shaibu added that the families of those who lost loved one during the anti-government protests had had “high hopes that justice would be done” by the commission.
The report was, however, the first official acknowledgement of the scale of the unrest.
Mohamed Chande Othman, head of the commission set up by Hassan, said the toll of 518 was
He rejected independent reports of mass graves and bodies being seized from hospital mortuaries, saying they
It is the first government statement on casualty figures — 2,390 were wounded, including 120 police officers — but Othman did not say who was responsible.
he said.
He also said some of those missing were
Foreign journalists were barred from entering the country to cover the election, and an internet blackout during and after the vote complicated efforts to gauge the scale of the violence.
The crackdown triggered rare criticism from African observers, with the African Union saying the election did not comply with
Tanzania has faced significant political unrest, particularly surrounding elections. The October elections were marred by allegations of violence and suppression of dissent, with opposition figures barred from participating. The government’s response to protests has drawn criticism from both local and international observers, highlighting concerns over human rights and electoral integrity. The recent commission report marks a rare acknowledgment of the violence, yet it remains contested by opposition parties who argue that the true extent of the casualties is much higher than reported.
