On election day, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against a system they experience as unfair. The police responded with a heavy hand: vehicles on fire, injured people in hospitals, and a curfew reminiscent of regimes like North Korea.
As if that wasn’t enough, the country was plunged into digital darkness. The internet was shut down nationwide, a “nationwide digital blackout,” according to NetBlocks. The government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who will almost certainly be re-elected, appears determined to stifle any form of opposition. The main opponent is in custody on charges of high treason, other parties are boycotting the elections.
Rights organizations speak of a “wave of terror” with disappearances and torture of opposition members. The question arises: how long can Tanzania maintain the image of a peaceful holiday destination, while in reality it is sliding towards authoritarian repression?