Tanzania’s anger spills into the streets after shut-out election

Dar es Salaam woke to tear gas and gunfire. In Mbagala, Gongo la Mboto and Kiluvya, protesters defied a citywide curfew the day after a tumultuous vote and ran straight into police lines. Internet access was down across the metropolis of seven million, but the crowds found workarounds, jumping to Zello to coordinate.

Wednesday’s election shut out President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two biggest challengers, hardening months of warnings from rights groups about a deepening crackdown on opposition, activists and journalists. Roads into the city, including the main artery to Julius Nyerere International Airport, were blocked, the US embassy said, as small fires at polling sites and street chants gave way to running confrontations.

Hassan, who took office in 2021 after John Magufuli’s death, faces growing scrutiny for what UN experts in June called an “escalating” pattern of attacks, disappearances and torture of critics. They say more than 200 people have vanished since 2019. Human Rights Watch added fresh cases in September: politically motivated assaults, abductions, and “extensive restrictions” on media and civil society.

The ballot’s architecture did the rest. The electoral commission disqualified Chadema, the main opposition, in April after it refused to sign the code of conduct, days after party leader Tundu Lissu was arrested at a rally for demanding reforms and charged with treason. Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo was also barred after an objection from the attorney general. Only minor figures were left on the ballot.

With mainstream avenues closed, the city’s discontent spilled over. Police answered with tear gas and live rounds in the air. The state’s message was clear: order first, questions later. But even with the internet blackout, organizing didn’t stop, another reminder that digital throttling rarely beats analog frustration.

Regionally, Tanzania is not alone. Ivory Coast and Cameroon have also stoked fury this month as long-time leaders maneuver to hold on. The through-line is simple: when elections become exclusion exercises, streets become the only forum left.