Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, is slowly returning to normal after days of violent unrest that followed last week’s disputed general elections. The police have officially lifted the night curfew that had been in place since Wednesday, allowing movement and business to resume.
Shops reopened on Tuesday, and vehicles were once again seen on the city’s roads, although long queues persisted at petrol stations due to earlier shortages. The curfew had been imposed after protests broke out across the country over the election results, which left many people dead and others missing.
During the unrest, the government temporarily shut down internet access nationwide, schools were closed, and transportation services came to a standstill. Families are still searching for missing relatives and burying those who lost their lives in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday for a new term after being declared the winner with 98% of the vote. However, international observers from the Southern African Development Community said the elections did not meet democratic standards.
The opposition, particularly the Chadema party, rejected the outcome, saying the poll was neither free nor fair. Its leaders faced serious challenges—Tundu Lissu remains in detention facing treason charges he denies, while another opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina, was disqualified from contesting.
Chadema claims that hundreds of its supporters were killed during the protests, with some reports suggesting up to 800 deaths, though official figures remain undisclosed. The United Nations earlier confirmed credible reports of at least ten deaths in different cities.
Concerns are also growing over the disappearance of Chadema’s deputy chairman, John Heche, who was reportedly taken away from a police station in Dodoma and has not been seen since. His family and party members say they fear for his safety.
Health workers in Dar es Salaam say government vehicles have been seen collecting bodies at night from hospitals and taking them to unknown locations. Witnesses also allege that injured protesters are being transferred secretly by security forces.
Among those killed was a Kenyan teacher, John Okoth Ogutu, who lived and worked in Dar es Salaam. His family says he was shot while going to buy food and has asked Kenyan authorities to help repatriate his body.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have condemned the Tanzanian government’s use of excessive force to silence protests, urging an immediate investigation into the killings and arrests.
President Samia, during her swearing-in, acknowledged the loss of lives and property but attributed the violence to what she called “foreign interference.” Samia, who first became president in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli, was once hailed for opening up the political space but is now being accused of tightening control over dissent.
As internet services gradually return, social media platforms remain restricted, and police continue to warn citizens against sharing protest-related content. Many Tanzanians, however, are still mourning and demanding answers about the true scale of the tragedy that shook the nation.