The United Nations has called for a thorough investigation into reports of hundreds of deaths during post-election protests in Tanzania, raising alarms about possible attempts to conceal evidence by authorities. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said Tuesday that Tanzanian security forces appear to have moved bodies from hospitals and mortuaries to undisclosed locations, making it difficult for families to perform funerals. “Reports of families desperately searching for their loved ones, visiting police stations and hospitals with no answers, are harrowing,” Türk said.
The protests erupted after the October 29 general election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with nearly 98% of the vote amid claims of restrictions on opposition parties and intimidation of voters. The main opposition party, CHADEMA, alleges that up to 2,000 people were killed in the violence over three days, though the government has not released an official death toll. The UN said “hundreds” may have died, but verification has been hampered by a six-day internet shutdown and volatile security conditions. The Catholic Church in Tanzania has condemned the killings, emphasizing that peace cannot be achieved without justice, and urging national reflection and accountability.
Tanzanian authorities have charged hundreds of individuals with treason for their alleged involvement in the demonstrations. High-profile figures targeted include CHADEMA leader Tundu Lissu, already jailed for several months, and Josephat Gwajima, an influential preacher whose church was deregistered earlier this year after he criticized government abuses. Police have also issued arrest warrants for additional opposition leaders who remain at large. Observers warn that continuing arrests and a lack of transparency could deepen Tanzania’s political crisis ahead of planned protests on Independence Day, December 9, and further undermine public trust in the electoral process.
