Tanzania Imposes Nationwide Communications Blackout Amid Post-Election Unrest, With Unconfirmed Reports of Casualties

Ethiomonitor -Addis Ababa 

October  30, 2025

Tanzania plunged into a nationwide communications blackout on Thursday, exacerbating tensions following widespread unrest that erupted after the country’s general elections on Wednesday. Unconfirmed reports suggest multiple fatalities, though verification remains hampered by the ongoing shutdown.

The elections, held under the shadow of limited opposition, were intended to bolster President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s position within the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. Several prominent challengers had been detained or disqualified prior to the vote, raising concerns from international observers. Violence marred voting day, with protests and clashes reported in multiple regions.

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent in Dar es Salaam, the nation’s commercial capital, described scenes of chaos: A police station was set ablaze, polling centers were targeted in attacks, and demonstrators were observed tearing down portraits of the president.

A diplomatic source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, cited preliminary and unverified intelligence indicating at least 30 deaths. Efforts to confirm these figures are severely restricted by the near-total internet and mobile network outage, coupled with curbs on international calls and messaging.

The Tanzanian government has yet to release an official statement on the unrest. Local media outlets, tightly regulated by authorities, have provided no updates since early Wednesday. In response to the instability, schools and universities across the country were shuttered on Thursday, while government workers were directed to telecommute. Residents in Dar es Salaam reported intermittent gunfire echoing through the city.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, had warned of a pre-election “wave of intimidation,” documenting alleged abductions, arbitrary arrests, and other politically motivated detentions targeting opposition figures and activists.

On the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, relative calm prevailed, though ferry services to the mainland were halted, stranding passengers. Travelers at the archipelago’s airport complained of disrupted communications and cashless payment systems, both crippled by the blackout.

One diplomatic source characterized the crisis as “unprecedented” for Tanzania, a nation long regarded as a bastion of stability in East Africa. As the communications clampdown persists, the political future of the country hangs in the balance, with analysts warning of deepening uncertainty