Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – November 8, 2025 – In a dramatic escalation of the political crisis gripping East Africa, Tanzanian authorities have charged more than 200 individuals with treason following widespread protests over the country's disputed October 29 presidential election. The mass arraignments, which began in earnest on Friday in Dar es Salaam and spread to other cities including Dodoma, Mwanza, and Njombe, mark one of the largest crackdowns on dissent in the nation's post-independence history. The charges carry the potential death penalty under Tanzanian law, though no executions have occurred since 1995.
The unrest stems from a poll that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the resounding victor with nearly 98% of the vote, securing her a second term after ascending to the presidency in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli. Hassan, the country's first female leader and a member of the long-ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, faced virtually no competition. Key opposition figures, including Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu and Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo) candidate Luhaga Mpina, were barred from running—Lissu on treason charges filed in April over his "No Reforms, No Election" campaign, and Mpina on technical grounds. Chadema, Tanzania's main opposition, boycotted the vote entirely, labeling it a "sham" designed to entrench CCM's dominance, which has persisted since the country's independence in 1961.
Violent demonstrations erupted across major cities on election day, October 29, as thousands—mostly young protesters—took to the streets decrying electoral irregularities, voter intimidation, and the exclusion of opposition voices. In Dar es Salaam, the economic hub, crowds torched buses, vandalized polling stations, and clashed with riot police, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Similar scenes unfolded in Arusha, Mwanza, and Dodoma, where protesters tore down Hassan's campaign posters and demanded transparency. The government imposed a nationwide internet blackout starting October 29, lasting several days, which severely restricted information flow and hampered independent verification of events. A curfew was enforced in affected areas, and military units were deployed to restore order, with Army Chief Gen. Jacob John Mkunda branding demonstrators "criminals."
Casualty figures remain hotly contested and unverified due to the communication shutdown and restricted access for journalists and human rights monitors. The opposition Chadema has claimed at least 800 deaths nationwide, based on reports from party members visiting hospitals and morgues, with over 350 in Dar es Salaam alone and more than 200 in Mwanza. Diplomatic and security sources have corroborated higher tolls, estimating hundreds killed, including credible evidence of at least 500 fatalities. The United Nations Human Rights Office cited "credible reports" of at least 10 deaths in initial clashes across three cities, urging restraint from security forces. Among the confirmed victims are two journalists: Master Tindwa of Clouds Media, shot at his home in Temeke, and Kelvin Lameck Mwakangondya of Baraka FM, killed on duty in Mbeya. Families, including those of Kenyan expatriates like teacher John Ogutu—shot dead while shopping—have struggled to repatriate bodies, with some hospitals overwhelmed and morgues reportedly cleared by municipal services at night.
Tanzanian officials have downplayed the violence, denying excessive force and attributing unrest to "foreign nationals" stoking chaos. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told Al Jazeera the government had "no official figures" on protester deaths but insisted security responses were proportionate. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the crackdown as involving enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings, with over 200 cases of abductions documented since 2019, many targeting critics in the pre-election period.
The legal proceedings began on November 7, when hundreds appeared in Dar es Salaam's Resident Magistrate Court, divided into three cases totaling over 250 defendants, according to lawyer Peter Kibatala. Judicial sources confirmed at least 240 charged nationwide by Saturday, accused of "conspiring to commit treason" and "treason itself" by forming intent to obstruct the election, intimidate the executive, and damage public property. Specific allegations include one against businesswoman and influencer Jennifer Bilikwija Jovin, 26, known as "Niffer," who was arrested October 27 for allegedly promoting demonstrations and urging protesters to buy tear-gas masks from her shop. The defendants, ranging in age from 16 to 37 and mostly non-public figures, were not represented by counsel in initial hearings, per Boniface Mwabukusi of the Tanganyika Law Society. Treason being non-bailable, they remain detained until the next hearing on November 19. Human rights lawyer Paul Kisabo of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition reported many appeared beaten and untreated, raising concerns over due process.
Late Friday, police escalated the pursuit of opposition leaders. Spokesperson David Misime announced a manhunt for 10 fugitives, including Chadema Secretary General John Mnyika, Deputy Amani Golugwa, and spokesperson Brenda Rupia, urging them to surrender. Golugwa was arrested in Arusha on Saturday morning, the latest in a wave of detentions Chadema called a "deliberate attempt to cripple the party's leadership." Chadema spokesperson Deogratias Munishi, speaking from Kenya, decried the moves as part of a broader suppression under the "current legal framework" that precludes free elections.
International observers have lambasted the process. The African Union's monitoring team documented ballot stuffing, excessive force, and abductions compromising integrity, concluding the vote "did not comply with AU principles." The Southern African Development Community (SADC) echoed this in a November 3 preliminary report, noting voters could not "express their democratic will" amid censorship and intimidation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed "deep concern" over deaths and injuries, while Pope Leo XIV called for prayers for the "numerous victims." EU foreign chief Kaja Kallas urged maximum restraint, and figures like South Africa's EFF leader Julius Malema demanded SADC accountability for "electoral manipulation and state-sponsored violence."
Religious leaders, including Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Benson Bagonza, warned the charges would "deepen acrimony," pleading for the government to "grieve with the people" rather than prosecute. Civil society groups like the Center for Strategic Litigation decry the erosion of democracy, linking it to economic risks as investor confidence wanes. During her November 3 inauguration, Hassan acknowledged losses but emphasized unity, vowing security measures to preserve "what we've built over six decades."
As Tanzania grapples with this pivotal moment, analysts fear prolonged instability could mirror recent unrest in Ivory Coast and Cameroon, where disputed polls fueled violence. With opposition voices muzzled and charges mounting, the path to reconciliation remains fraught. Families continue searching for the missing, hospitals treat the wounded, and the nation awaits whether justice—or further division—will prevail.
