Tanzania Crackdown on Protests Amidst Disputed Election Results. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — The government of Tanzania has tightened security measures and outlawed protests following its controversial election victory in October.
On Tanzania’s Independence Day, streets in major cities remained largely empty as police and soldiers patrolled, preemptively ruling that any protest would be treated as a coup attempt and urging citizens to remain at home.
According to local reports, the ruling party, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, won the October 29 election with nearly 98 percent of the vote after several opposition candidates were barred from running.
The election results have been met with widespread skepticism and calls for protest.
A crackdown on rallies contesting the election resulted in hundreds of deaths and over 2,000 detentions.
On Tuesday, police trucks and officers were seen patrolling the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, the administrative capital Dodoma, and the northeastern city of Arusha. Roadblocks were also set up near key government installations, including President Hassan’s heavily guarded offices.
The situation appeared calm as of late morning, although some reports indicated that small protests had begun in certain areas of Dar es Salaam.
However, these reports could not be immediately confirmed. President Hassan, who appointed a commission last month to investigate election-related violence, has repeatedly denied that security forces acted with undue force. United Nations human rights experts have estimated that at least 700 people were extrajudicially killed in the violence following the election.
The government has acknowledged that people died but has not provided its own death toll.
The United States has expressed concern over the situation in Tanzania, stating it is reviewing its relationship with the country over concerns about violence against civilians, religious freedom, free speech, and barriers to investment.
In the months leading up to the elections, opposition leaders and human rights activists accused the government of being behind the disappearance of dozens of its critics.
President Hassan said last year that she had ordered an investigation into reported abductions, but no results have been announced. Further details are expected as the situation continues to develop.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 4*
