from ALLOYCE KIMBUNGA in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Tanzania Bureau
DAR-ES-SALAAM, (CAJ News) – HUMAN rights groups have called on Tanzanian authorities to investigate the alleged excessive use of force by police during election day protests that left at least two people dead and several others injured.
Clashes erupted in several cities, including Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Tunduma, Tanga, and Mwanza, as demonstrators took to the streets to call for a boycott of the country’s general elections.
Verified footage shared online appeared to show largely peaceful gatherings dispersed by riot police using live ammunition and tear gas.
Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, condemned the violence and urged restraint.
“Reports that one civilian and one police officer were killed during election day protests across Tanzania are deeply disturbing,” Chagutah said.
“The authorities must immediately and independently investigate the unlawful use of lethal force against protesters, and those responsible must be held to account.”
Chagutah also raised concerns about nationwide internet disruptions, which have limited access to election-related information and restricted media coverage.
“The authorities must restore full internet access and allow journalists and observers to report freely,” he added. “Tanzania’s government has a constitutional duty to respect human rights before, during, and after elections.”
The protests come amid rising political tensions following a tightly controlled election dominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
Opposition candidates, including Tundu Lissu of Chadema (Party for Democracy and Progress) and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from contesting the presidency — a move widely criticized by civil society groups as undermining political pluralism.
In the lead-up to the vote, Amnesty International and other watchdogs documented an escalating crackdown on dissent, including the harassment of journalists, arrests of opposition leaders, and restrictions on public gatherings.
Tanzania, once lauded as a stable democracy in East Africa, has faced growing scrutiny in recent years for shrinking civic space under successive governments.
Analysts warn that the violent suppression of protests could deepen public mistrust in state institutions and further erode democratic freedoms.
As calm slowly returns to major cities, rights groups continue to call for transparency, accountability, and respect for fundamental freedoms — warning that Tanzania’s credibility as a democracy hinge on how it responds to this crisis.
– CAJ News