Tanzanian authorities have launched a nationwide manhunt for senior opposition figures accused of instigating deadly protests that erupted after last week’s presidential and parliamentary elections, police said on Saturday.
The Tanzanian Police Force announced that 10 opposition leaders and activists, including top officials from the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) party, are wanted for allegedly planning and coordinating the violence that swept through major cities.
“The police force, in collaboration with other defense and security agencies, is continuing a serious manhunt to find all who planned, coordinated, and executed this evil act,” said the police spokesperson in a statement.
Those sought for arrest include CHADEMA Secretary General John Mnyika, his deputy Amaan Golugwa, and Brenda Rupia, the party’s communications chief, according to the police statement. Authorities did not specify the charges against them, but the announcement came just a day after prosecutors charged 145 people with treason in connection with the unrest.
The protests, which began on October 29, spread rapidly through Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, and Mbeya, as thousands took to the streets to challenge the election results. Opposition groups claim that security forces used lethal force to suppress demonstrators, with more than 1,000 people killed, according to CHADEMA and several human rights activists.
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The government has rejected those figures, calling them exaggerated, but it has not provided its own death toll.
The unrest followed the announcement of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s landslide victory, with the electoral commission declaring she had secured nearly 98% of the vote. The result extended her rule amid accusations of vote rigging and ballot box stuffing.
African Union election observers said the poll lacked credibility and reported multiple irregularities, including evidence of ballot manipulation. The government dismissed those findings, insisting that the election was “free and fair.”
Protests intensified after prominent opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who had been barred from running and charged with treason in April, denounced the results as illegitimate. His exclusion from the ballot, alongside other opposition contenders, is seen as a key driver of the unrest.
Security forces have since been deployed across several cities, with checkpoints and patrols reported in urban centers. Human rights groups have accused the government of using mass arrests and intimidation tactics to silence dissent.
Analysts warn that the government’s latest crackdown on opposition leaders could further inflame tensions and undermine efforts at national dialogue.
President Hassan, who took office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, had been credited with taking modest steps toward political openness. However, the current crisis risks undoing those gains.