Tanzania's Post-election Uprising

Although President Samia Suluhu Hassan initially raised hopes by easing some restrictions, her administration ultimately deepened authoritarian practices. Opposition parties—especially CHADEMA—faced arrests, legal exclusion, censorship, and violence well before the 2025 elections, effectively eliminating genuine political competition.

The exclusion of major opposition candidates and the declaration of a landslide victory for Suluhu led to widespread youth-led protests across Tanzania. Security forces responded with extreme force, internet shutdowns, and mass arrests, resulting in thousands of deaths and drawing limited but critical international concern.

The unrest is part of a wider global and regional wave of youth-led movements driven by economic exclusion, lack of accountability, and mistrust in institutions. In Tanzania, high youth unemployment and perceptions of elite self-enrichment have intensified a generational divide, suggesting continued instability unless meaningful political reforms are undertaken