Hundreds of tourists are stranded in Tanzania after the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan shut down the internet and deployed soldiers and policemen to the streets, following widespread protests against a “sham” election that saw a crackdown on dissent and the killing or disappearance of opposition figures.
Crowds in several Tanzanian cities, including Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital, and Arusha, a tourist gateway, chanted for the army to take over the country, in what some describe as the biggest challenge to the ruling party since independence in 1961.
Amnesty International reported two people had been killed, though campaigners monitoring video footage said the final death toll was likely to be much higher.
“Nothing like this has ever happened, and no one expected it,” said the relative of a prominent jailed opposition leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of the authorities. “There is a huge call for the military to take over, draw up a new constitution and hold fresh elections,” he said.
Authorities shut down virtually all dissent in the run-up to the polls, jailing opposition leader Tundu Lissu on treason charges and banning his party. Other opposition figures have been killed or disappeared, and only relatively unknown political parties are allowed to stand.
Demonstrators in Dar defied a curfew on Wednesday night and came out again in force on Thursday. The US embassy reported that the main road to the airport was closed, while there were reports of protesters occupying the airport at one stage.
Civil rights campaigners said there was evidence of gunfire, including in the second-largest city, Mwanza, and some videos appeared to show the army intervening on the side of demonstrators to prevent the police from firing, though the internet shutdown made verification difficult. “When the police saw the military coming, they pulled back,” said one rights activist.
Tanzania, once a symbol of peace and human rights under its first president, Julius Nyerere, has experienced a political decline since Hassan took office in 2021.
Her government is accused of suppressing dissenting voices, detaining opposition politicians and excluding citizens from the political process. It has also deported foreigners it views as security threats.
Blessing Vava, the executive director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a human rights advocacy group, who was denied entry on Tuesday, detained and deported after being declared a security risk on election day, says Tanzania is morphing into a dictatorship.
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