SUMMARY
The Government of Tanzania, since independence ruled by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, has at times made use of one-sided violence against its population, in particular when suppressing opposition activities in connection with elections. The CCM had introduced a limited form of multiparty democracy in 1994, while retaining power for itself through a mixture of oppression, electoral fraud, and genuine legitimacy as the party that secured the country's independence from colonial rule and organized the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The Government of Tanzania first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2001, when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in January that year when opposition protesters were attacked and killed by the police forces.
Post-election crackdown 2000-2001
In January 2001 the opposition in Tanzania called to protest irregularities in the national elections of October 2000, which the incumbent Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, in power since independence in 1961, claimed to have won. The opposition parties in Tanzania thought that the October election was not free and fair. This was a view that they shared with international observers who condemned fraud in Zanzibar during the election. For this reason Civic United Front (CUF), Tanzania’s major opposition party called for national protests to take place on January 27 2001. Moreover, the CUF also demanded reforms of the constitution. In its protests and demands for constitutional changes CUF was broadly supported by other opposition parties. These protests were the largest in the history of Tanzania (formed in 1964 as a union between mainland Tanganyika and the Indian Ocean islands of Unguja and Pemba, which together encompass Zanzibar). Demonstrations took place on several places of mainland Tanzania and these demonstrations were generally peaceful but with some cases of police harassment.
The organizers of the demonstrations on Zanzibar had also planned peaceful demonstrations. The participants were urged to wear white armbands and be unarmed. The governmental response to these planned demonstrations was to declare them illegal. In addition they also threaten possible demonstrators with violence if they should attend the demonstrations and the day before the demonstrations two persons were killed by security forces.
On January 27, the demonstrations started as planned. However, soon they were stopped by roadblocks and ordered to break up by security forces. Even though the demonstrators were unarmed and walked peacefully they were soon attacked by the police and the army. Teargas, beatings, snipers and helicopters were all used in the attack. This attack made the crowd disperse but the authorities continued with their assaults by hindering wounded to go to hospital etc.
After the demonstrations the authorities conducted many house-to-house operations singling out supporters to CUF and other opposition parties. These operations involved both looting and sexual abuse. The opposition against the Government of Tanzania was most widespread at Zanzibar and the method used by the government clearly showed their purpose to try to crush the opposition with violence.
Election violence in 2020
National elections were held on 28 October 2020, during which the incumbent President John Magufuli of the CCM was re-elected for a second term amidst allegations of widespread election fraud and violent suppression of opposition activities. In the days leading up to the election, several leaders of the main opposition party on Zanzibar, ACT-Wazalendo, were arrested amidst allegations that security forces shot and killed at least four, but up to twelve, people on Zanzibar. During the following two weeks at least another six people were killed in a post-election crackdown of the opposition, though mainland opposition parties claimed the number to be as high as 22. The opposition and many international observers has claimed that Tanzania became increasingly authoritarian after Magufuli came to power in 2015.
Post-election crackdown 2025
The government and the long-ruling CCM faced a crisis upon the death of Magufuli whilst in office in 2021, as his vice president Samia Suluhu Hassan inherited power. The party had become increasingly unpopular, and Hassan lacked the personal popularity that Magufuli had been able to enjoy.
Early attempts to portray herself as a reformer were quickly abandoned, as they appeared to both emboldened opposition within CCM and from the opposition. As Tanzania held general elections in October 2025, Hassan appeared determined to secure an overwhelming electoral victory to shore up her legitimacy, no matter what. The main opposition party Chadema was barred from participating, and the elections themselves were immediately condemned as fraudulent. Hassan's government claimed to have won 97.66% of the vote with record turnout, a result largely ridiculed both within and outside Tanzania.
Demonstrations began on 29 October, the day of the election, in several cities across Tanzania, demanding free and fair elections and the resignation of the government. Although largely peaceful, the protests were met with violence from the security forces. The crackdown was particularly brutal in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city, where a majority of fatalities took place. Mwanza and Arusha also saw significant violence.
At least 1,000 civilians were killed by the government in one-sided violence over the next few days, both as part of protests and through extrajudicial executions by government forces that roamed around to enforce a curfew and ban on any form of gatherings. A further 360 people died in violent protests, recorded in the VPP category of UCDP violence. It is very likely that many more people were killed, as unverified claims by the opposition and some NGOs put the death toll at somewhere between 3,500 and 10,000. The election crackdown has shattered Tanzania's image of being a stable 'island of peace' in a turbulent neighborhood.
