Tension over disputed election forces Tanzania President Samia Suluhu to shelve Independence Day celebrations fearing protests

Tension over disputed election forces Tanzania President Samia Suluhu to shelve Independence Day celebrations fearing protests

Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba on Monday asked all nonessential workers to stay home on Tuesday. The annual Independence Day celebrations were cancelled in November and the government said funds that would have been used for the celebrations would be used to repair damaged infrastructure.

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Kenyan civil societies want independent probe by ICC of election atrocities in Tanzania

Kenyan civil societies want independent probe by ICC of election atrocities in Tanzania

Scores went missing, prompting fears that they may have been killed by the political bodies dumped in mass graves as may be the case with hundreds – civil society allege thousands – with Tanzanians suspected to have been buried in unidentified graves.

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Tanzania announces formation of commission of inquiry to investigate election protests killings

Tanzania announces formation of commission of inquiry to investigate election protests killings

Young people in Tanzania began demonstrating on Election Day on October 29 to protest the exclusion of presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties. President Hassan was declared the winner with more than 97 per cent of the total votes.

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Making of a Swahili Nation: How bloody repression in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya gave birth to quest for new dispensation

Making of a Swahili Nation: How bloody repression in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya gave birth to quest for new dispensation

Tanzania is the result of the 1964 merger of two former states – Tanganyika, the mainland territory, and Zanzibar, the coastal archipelago. The merger followed Tanganyika’s independence from Britain in 1961 and the Zanzibar Revolution in January 1964 that led to a new government that sought unification with Tanganyika.

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What to know about Tanzania president’s ‘white collar hit squad’ after bloody chaos

What to know about Tanzania president’s ‘white collar hit squad’ after bloody chaos

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor, took more than 97 per cent of the vote, according to an official tally. Her main rivals, Tundu Lissu of Chadema and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from running.

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Coup in the offing? Tanzania sinks further into abyss as military appears sympathetic to protesters  

Coup in the offing? Tanzania sinks further into abyss as military appears sympathetic to protesters  

A similar situation to what is happening in Tanzania is also currently unfolding in Cameroon where 92-yar old Paul Biya – in power since 1982 – was early this week declared winner, sparking protests that have since received the support of the military. Like President Suluhi Hassan, President Biya – who spends more than 80 per cent of his time in France – had used the courts, police and electoral commission to arbitrarily lock out opponents.

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New violence erupts in Tanzania as voters say they transitioned from ‘cows to active citizens’, state directs civil servants to ‘work from home’

New violence erupts in Tanzania as voters say they transitioned from ‘cows to active citizens’, state directs civil servants to ‘work from home’

Hundreds protested on Wednesday in Tanzania’s largest city, tearing down banners of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and burning a police station, as the East African country went to the polls in elections where the main challengers have either been jailed or barred from standing.

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Suluhu coronation: Rising political tension in Tanzania forces state to deploy the military to man streets and key installations

Suluhu coronation: Rising political tension in Tanzania forces state to deploy the military to man streets and key installations

Human rights organizations have long accused Tanzania’s administration of arresting, detaining and intimidating critics and opposition members. The leader of the main opposition CHADEMA party, Tundu Lissu, is in prison and faces treason charges after calling for electoral reforms, while the candidate of the second-largest opposition party was barred from running.

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Election violence: Tanzania police declare curfew in capital, Dar es Salaam, to suppress ‘Suluhu coronation’ protests

Election violence: Tanzania police declare curfew in capital, Dar es Salaam, to suppress ‘Suluhu coronation’ protests

Chadema had called for protests during the election, which it said amounted to a “coronation” of Hassan, who came to power in 2021 after her predecessor died in office. The party was disqualified in April after it refused to sign a code of conduct, and its leader Tundu Lissu was charged with treason.

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Empty polling stations as voters in Tanzania give Suluhu Hassan ‘coronation’ a wide birth

Empty polling stations as voters in Tanzania give Suluhu Hassan ‘coronation’ a wide birth

Humphrey Polepole, a former CCM spokesman and ambassador to Cuba, went missing from his home this month after resigning and criticising Hassan. His family found blood stains in his home.

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