WASHINGTON — The United States announced on Thursday a sweeping review of its bilateral relationship with Tanzania, citing “grave concerns” over the East African nation’s repression of religious freedom and free speech, persistent barriers to American investment, and deadly violence against civilians surrounding the October 29 elections. In a strongly worded statement from the State Department, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott emphasized that while Washington values its longstanding partnership with the Tanzanian people—one that has bolstered regional security and economic growth—recent actions by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government have jeopardized American citizens, businesses, and broader U.S. interests.
“The government of Tanzania’s ongoing repression of religious freedom and free speech, the presence of persistent obstacles to U.S. investment, and disturbing violence against civilians in the days leading up to and following Tanzania’s October 29 elections, required this reconsideration of our ties,” the statement read. It warned that these developments have put American citizens, tourists, and U.S. interests in Tanzania at risk and threatened to undermine the mutual prosperity and security that have defined the partnership for decades. The review, described as comprehensive, will evaluate all aspects of cooperation, with future relations hinging on Tanzanian reforms. “The United States cannot overlook actions that jeopardize the safety of our citizens, or the security and stability of the region,” Pigott added.
The announcement comes at a precarious moment for Tanzania, long regarded as an island of relative stability in a volatile region. Diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Tanzania date to 1961, when Washington recognized the newly independent Tanganyika. Over the decades, the relationship has delivered billions of dollars in American aid for health, education, and governance, including landmark PEPFAR programs that have saved countless lives. Trade under the African Growth and Opportunity Act has flourished, with Tanzanian textiles, minerals, and agricultural products flowing to the U.S. market. Yet, under President Hassan—who took office in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli—democratic backsliding has accelerated, straining the partnership.
Central to U.S. concerns is the escalating crackdown on religious freedom and free speech. Human rights organizations have documented a pervasive climate of fear ahead of the elections, with authorities banning opposition rallies, arbitrarily arresting activists, and charging critics with fabricated offenses. Religious leaders have been targeted: a prominent Catholic bishop’s secretary was brutally assaulted in Dar es Salaam for speaking out on human rights, and a Radio Maria priest disappeared for weeks during a spiritual retreat. Freedom House downgraded Tanzania from “Partly Free” to “Not Free” in 2025, citing censorship of artists, blocking of LGBT+ websites, and periodic sectarian tensions despite historically peaceful interfaith relations.
Digital repression has intensified as well, with thousands of websites and social media accounts shuttered under vague “public morality” pretexts. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and UN experts have all condemned the blocking of platforms and the use of enforced disappearances and torture to silence dissent—tactics that echo the Magufuli era but have grown more sophisticated under Hassan.
Equally troubling for Washington are persistent obstacles to U.S. investment. Despite a 2023 U.S.-Tanzania Commercial Dialogue intended to remove barriers, American companies continue to face arbitrary tax enforcement, land-acquisition difficulties, forced local-content quotas, and mandatory initial public offerings in strategic sectors like mining. Tanzania’s ambitious Vision 2025 aims for $15 billion in annual foreign direct investment, yet inflows have stagnated near $1 billion. U.S. firms in telecom, mining, energy, and tourism have scaled back operations amid policy unpredictability, and the recent closure of USAID’s Tanzania office signaled a broader shift from aid to trade—now itself in jeopardy.
The immediate catalyst for the review, however, is the violence surrounding the October 29 elections. President Hassan was declared the winner with 98% of the vote, but the African Union declared the process non-compliant with democratic standards, citing mass disqualification of opposition candidates and obstruction of observers. The main opposition party, Chadema, boycotted the polls, and its leader Tundu Lissu faced a string of politically motivated charges.
On election day, massive Gen Z-led protests erupted across the country—the largest demonstrations since independence—denouncing electoral theft and repression. Security forces responded with live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannons. Verified reports documented unarmed civilians, including a pregnant woman shot in the back in Arusha, being killed in multiple cities. Morgues overflowed, internet services were cut nationwide, and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed. Casualty estimates vary widely amid the information blackout: opposition sources claim up to 2,000 killings, diplomatic estimates range from 500 to 1,000, and the UN has verified hundreds of deaths and thousands of arbitrary detentions. Reports of Ugandan plainclothes units assisting Tanzanian forces have further inflamed regional tensions.
The Tanzanian government has described the violence as “isolated incidents” provoked by “illegal immigrants” and announced an internal investigation, but human rights groups have dismissed the probe as a whitewash and called for International Criminal Court involvement. More than 240 people have since been charged with treason, including prominent opposition figures.
The U.S. review could lead to targeted sanctions, suspension of security cooperation, cuts to remaining aid programs, or even revocation of Tanzania’s eligibility under AGOA. Regional bodies, including the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, have urged dialogue and the reopening of civic space. Analysts warn that continued defiance risks turning Tanzania into an international pariah at precisely the moment it seeks to attract massive investment for its $1 trillion economy-by-2050 ambition.
For now, the State Department’s statement marks a pivotal crossroads: meaningful reforms could preserve and even strengthen one of Africa’s oldest bilateral partnerships; continued repression and violence may push Tanzania toward isolation and instability in an already turbulent region.
