“Darkness After the Vote: Tanzania Shuts Down as Suluhu Secures Disputed Re-election”
As polls closed, the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) abruptly ended live coverage, switching to routine programming. Soon after, curfews were imposed, the military deployed, and both electricity and internet services went down across major cities
When Tanzanians went to the polls on October 29, 2025, the world’s attention turned to the nation that gave East Africa its first female president, Samia Suluhu Hassan. But days later, the country stands isolated without power, without internet, and without answers
Suluhu’s re-election, announced by the national electoral body with a 98% victory margin, has drawn accusations of democratic suppression and violent crackdowns on the opposition
Chadema Party leader Tundu Lissu was arrested months before the election and charged with treason, effectively leaving Suluhu unopposed
As polls closed, the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) abruptly ended live coverage, switching to routine programming. Soon after, curfews were imposed, the military deployed, and both electricity and internet services went down across major cities
With communications severed, reports of casualties from post-election violence remain unverifiable. Opposition figures claim over 700 people have been killed since protests began, though independent confirmation has been impossible
International media and observers have been denied entry or accreditation, while misinformation and AI-generated images now flood social media in neighboring countries
Foreign governments, including the UK and the U.S., have issued travel advisories warning of shortages of food, fuel, and cash. Some foreign nationals report being stranded due to flight cancellations and transport paralysis
Global leaders have called for calm. The African Union and the United Nations have urged dialogue, restraint, and respect for human rights. Pope Leo XIV also appealed for peace, urging Tanzanians to “avoid all forms of violence and follow the path of dialogue”
Also read : Tanzania Plunges into Darkness as Internet Blackout, Violence Follow Disputed Election
President Suluhu is expected to be sworn in privately at the State House in Dodoma away from the public and the cameras that once celebrated her historic rise
For now, Tanzania remains in darkness its people disconnected, its democracy uncertain, and the truth trapped behind a blackout
Writer : Mweru Mbugua
