UN Demands Investigation Into Killing Of Election Protesters In Tanzania

The United Nations (UN) has issued a statement demanding investigation into the killing of innocent protesters by security forces, during and after the general elections in Tanzania. That was reported by some media on November 1, 2025. The statement followed utterance by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on October 31, 2025, by which he expressed deep concern over the protests and reports of massacre of protestors by security forces. At least 800 protesters are said to have been killed by security forces.

More specifically and reportedly, the UN in its statement, demanded prompt, impartial, and effective investigation into all cases of election-related violence and ensure that those responsible for the atrocities are brought to justice.

Also, the UN in its statement noted that campaign in Tanzania's recent general elections dubbed sham elections in numerous quarters worldwide, took place in the midst of allegations of: arbitrary arrests and incarcerations of opposition politicians that include the leader of the main opposition party CHADEMA, namely Tundu Lissu; as well as enforced disappearances that targeted critics of the government. Accordingly, the UN demanded immediate and unconditional release of all those held in arbitrary incarceration, and those held legally to be taken to court and given fair trial.

Furthermore, the UN is said to have demanded that the government of Tanzania should reinstate internet access immediately, and ensure that citizens there enjoy fully, their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

Tanzania's election protests that were held by young people alias the Gen Z, began on October 29, 2025, the day the country's sham General Elections 2025 were conducted, despite presence of heavily armed police and military troops that the government had deployed countrywide in advance to prevent such protests. As in previous elections, the authoritarian regime had expected presence of massive heavily armed security forces would have frightened any one planning to protest against what the opposition there called flawed elections that were rigged even before the were conducted. However, the repressive measure by the authorities, that is aimed at silencing citizens through delivering incredible fear, and that worked well before, didn't do the trick on this occasion. That is probably because long period of repression by the ruling party CCM, said to be over 60 years, may have made people of Tanzania, especially young people, to finally declare that they have had enough now, and became fearless, vocal, ready to fight for their freedom at any cost.

UN demands investigation into killing of election protesters in Tanzania

The election protests are said to have begun rather peacefully, but turned violent and bloody in many regions in the country, including Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, Musoma, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Iringa, Kagera, Dodoma, Morogoro, etc., after security forces unleashed brutal, excessive, and deadly force on the peaceful young protesters. The latter are said to have responded angrily and courageously to the security forces 'crackdown, by torching polling stations, government buildings and vehicles, police stations, etc. The protesters' explosive anger is said to have been particularly directed at one guy - the incumbent president's son called Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir that they accused of been the overseer of the bloody crackdown by security forces.

The young protesters are said to have been simply expressing their discontent with the way the elections were prepared and conducted, i.e., under a flawed multi-party electoral system that is reportedly based on an old Constitution devised for the country's previous one-party system. As such, they were protesting to demand reform of the electoral system, and after the bloody crackdown on them by the security forces, they also demanded the female authoritarian incumbent president called Samia Suluhu Hassan to go.

The incumbent president is said to have supported the killing of the protesters by security forces in a speech she delivered in Dodoma after the sham elections, calling the protesters unpatriotic and criminals. That is not surprising though. Dubbed in some quarters as the "tyrant in a hijab", she is said to be the most brutal president in Tanzania's post-colonial history, and one of Africa's most brutal heads of state. Since she inherited power in early 2021, more that 200 people, entailing opposition politicians and government critics, have disappeared without trace, according to some local political activists. Many others are also said to have been abducted and then killed by security agents. The latter have even made a futile attempt to abduct a prominent Tanzanian political activist who lives in Kenya.

The election protests continued after the election day, and reportedly stopped on November 1, 2025, probably just for a while.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Gen Z election protests and the response of the young protesters to security forces' bloody crackdown are unprecedented in Tanzania and may have considerable implications for the political situation in the country.

Particularly, if people's fear and subsequent silence to brutal repression by their government are gone as envisaged earlier, then that may indicate the dawn of unstoppable political process for change geared towards true democracy in Tanzania. Data derived from recent political events on the ground in Tanzania suggest strongly this turning point in the country's political situation. Within this context, Tanzania's young people seem to be totally determined now to get rid of the notorious bogus democracy in their country, and regain/claim back their right for individual freedom, e.g., freedom of expression, freedom of choice of who they want as their leader, freedom of what they want to do with lives within the country's laws, freedom of travel to other countries, freedom of dress, etc. As such, from now on it may be very difficult indeed for the ruling autocratic CCM party to continue doing business as usual, i.e., as if nothing has happened.

It is probable that the ruling authoritarian CCM party under its ruthless dictatorial female leader may choose to resist the envisaged process for political change in Tanzania, but that may with time lead to its demise altogether. That is because if the illegitimate CCM government accruing from the sham elections were to be forced to go at some point, then it is very likely that emerging new truly democratic government will dissolve the party. Therefore, seemingly the only way CCM could continue to the future would be accepting and participating in the envisage process for political change. Already the country's largest opposition party CHADEMA that reportedly has rejected any claimed results of the sham general elections because in strict terms such elections are not elections, has subscribed to the process for political change in Tanzania. The party is said to have suggested formation of a transition government that will entail all political parties, followed by electoral reforms, and then new general elections. This suggestion may be a bitter pill to swallow for the arrogant ruling authoritarian CCM party, but is a good option if it is to remain a political party in Tanzania in the future. Keeping on reiterating that the obviously sham general elections were free and fair elections is not helpful for the party.

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