Tanzania Vote Sparks Widespread Unrest, Reports of Deaths

Tanzania’s general election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was widely expected to win after two main opposition challengers were barred, has resulted in large-scale unrest and international concern. Protests across Dar es Salaam and other cities saw hundreds confront police, with vehicles, a petrol station and police stations set ablaze, the military deployed, overnight curfews imposed and widespread internet disruptions. Casualty figures are contested: the UN human rights office said credible reports indicate at least 10 people were killed, while the opposition Chadema party has claimed about 700 deaths. The UN and rights groups urged security forces to avoid disproportionate force, restore internet access, release arbitrarily detained opponents and carry out impartial investigations, while the government described the unrest as "isolated incidents" and defended its temporary security measures. Observers warned the vote, held amid bans on major opposition parties and reports of enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests, risks further entrenching the long-ruling CCM or provoking sustained civil defiance.