DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Tanzanian authorities have lifted a week-long night curfew in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, following deadly protests that erupted after last Wednesday’s disputed general election, which handed President Samia Suluhu Hassan a sweeping 98% victory.
The move signals a tentative return to normalcy after days of unrest that left hundreds dead and paralysed much of the country.
Internet access — which had been shut nationwide — is gradually being restored, though social media platforms remain restricted.
Shops and schools reopened on Tuesday as traffic returned to city streets, yet long queues persisted at petrol stations amid shortages of basic goods. Residents are still mourning loved ones or searching for relatives missing since clashes between police and opposition supporters who denounced the poll as “a sham.”
Opposition party Chadema claimed at least 800 people were killed, while a diplomatic source cited by the BBC said there was credible evidence of over 500 deaths.
The UN human rights office earlier reported at least 10 deaths in three cities, though the government has not released official figures.
A doctor at Muhimbili Hospital told the BBC that vehicles marked “Municipal Burial Services” had been collecting bodies at night.
“Relatives are not being given the bodies, and survivors are being taken from the emergency department to unknown destinations by police,” he said, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals.
Chadema’s deputy chairman, John Heche, has reportedly gone missing after being taken from a police station in Dodoma on Tuesday. His wife and a party official said police vehicles “sped off” as they tried to follow. Authorities have not commented on his whereabouts.
President Samia, who was sworn in on Monday, acknowledged the “loss of lives and destruction of public property” during her inauguration, but suggested that “foreign nationals” were partly responsible for the unrest. “It is not surprising that among those arrested, some are foreigners,” she said.
International observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) noted in a preliminary report that the election “fell short of democratic standards.” Two key opposition leaders — Tundu Lissu and Luhaga Mpina — were unable to contest, with Lissu detained on treason charges and Mpina disqualified on technical grounds.
The unrest has drawn condemnation from global rights groups. Human Rights Watch said the government had used “lethal force and other abuses” against demonstrators, while Amnesty International urged an immediate investigation into the killings, warning that “excessive force has no place in policing.”
Among the victims was 33-year-old Kenyan teacher John Okoth Ogutu, who was allegedly shot by police in Dar es Salaam while buying food. His family has appealed to Nairobi to help repatriate his body.
“He was loving and peaceful,” his sister, Celestine Ogutu, told the BBC. “The last time we spoke, he wished me a happy birthday — the only one in the family who remembered.”
President Samia, who first took office in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli, was initially praised for loosening political restrictions.
However, critics now say the political space has narrowed once again. As Tanzania attempts to restore calm, questions remain over accountability, transparency, and the future of democratic governance under her administration.
