Tanzania police accused of killing hundreds amid election unrest

17 November 2025 , 08:42

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Tanzania police accused of killing hundreds amid election unrest

A crowd rushes in panic along a dusty street. Shots echo. A woman in a purple jacket holding a stick falls to the ground.

Another woman can be heard pleading, "Mama, mama, stand," as she attempts to lift her. Blood is spreading around her stomach as another stain appears on her back.

This verified footage, filmed in Tanzania’s city of Arusha, is just one of many graphic scenes to have emerged showing the violent actions of police as they attempted to crush widespread protests last month during the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

The protests began in the city of Dar es Salaam on 29 October and spread across the country over the following days. The demonstrations were largely organized by young people left angered by what they see as a political system dominated by one party since Tanzania gained independence in the 1960s.

Several opposition leaders were arrested and others banned from running in the elections while a number of opposition activists were detained. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan ultimately secured victory after the electoral commission declared she received 98% of the vote.

Since then, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had reports indicating that hundreds of people were killed during the protests, with many more injured or detained. A diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Footage of the protests was suppressed for almost a week when the government imposed a near-total internet blackout and threatened to jail anyone caught sharing any videos from the protests, claiming it could cause unrest.

Only once the block was lifted on 4 November did dozens of videos begin to surface online showing violent scenes: uniformed officers appearing to fire at crowds, bodies lying on the streets, with others piled up outside a hospital.

To understand what happened, BBC Verify has analyzed, geolocated, and confirmed footage, building a clearer picture of how police responded to the demonstrations.

Emma Davis

Deputy Editor