CAN 2025 / Uganda – Tanzania: who holds the historical edge?
CAN 2025 / Uganda – Tanzania: history of encounters
Uganda versus Tanzania is more than just a match—it’s a slice of East African football history. Since 1964, these two nations have watched each other, challenged each other, and built one of the most electric rivalries on the continent. But December 27, 2025 in Rabat marks a new chapter: for the first time, the Cranes and the Taifa Stars will clash in the Africa Cup of Nations finals, under the world’s spotlight, with qualification hanging in the balance.
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Historically, Uganda has dominated: out of 61 meetings, they’ve claimed 33 victories, including a memorable 5–0 thrashing in 1991—a symbol of their once-unquestioned supremacy. Tanzania, with just around a dozen wins, has found renewed momentum in recent years. “We can beat anyone,” the Taifa Stars often proclaim, a belief they backed up by knocking Uganda out of the CAN 2023 qualifiers before booking their own ticket to Côte d’Ivoire.
The year 2025 has only underscored this new balance: Tanzania grabbed a 1–0 win, then Uganda responded with a 3–0 revenge in the U17s. Tonight, everything could change. For Uganda, it’s a chance to restore the old order. For Tanzania, it may be the moment to rewrite fifty years of history.
Five people died when a rescue helicopter on a mission on Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, crashed on Wednesday night.
The crash happened on one of the most popular tourist climbing routes in Tanzania. Police said the helicopter was on a rescue mission to pick up patients on the mountain.
Two foreigners, who police said had been picked up in a medical evacuation, were among those killed. Tanzanian media reports said they were Czech nationals.
A local doctor, a tour guide and a pilot were also killed in the crash, police said.
The crash happened between the mountain’s Barafu Camp and Kibo Summit at an altitude of more than 13,100 feet.
Kilimanjaro regional police commander Simon Maigwa told journalists the aircraft belonged to the Kilimanjaro Aviation company, which conducts medical evacuation services, among others. The company has not yet commented on the accident.
Police said more information would be provided later. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday said investigations had started in line with international safety regulations “to determine the circumstances and probable cause” of the accident.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is nearly 20,000 ft above sea level. While the ascent is not considered technically difficult for mountaineers, altitude sickness is a problem for many climbers. Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.
Aircraft accidents on Mount Kilimanjaro are rare, with the last recorded incident being in November 2008, when four people died.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania’s main opposition party called Thursday for the establishment of a transitional government after a disputed election that it was barred from taking part in, saying the current government has “no legitimacy.”
John Heche, vice chair of the opposition party Chadema, said the United Nations and African continental bodies should oversee a transitional government and a fresh, fair election.
He said the Oct. 29 election, which the ruling party won by more than 97%, was null and void, and called for the dissolution of the Tanzanian electoral body.
“The entire election is invalid, and it has no legitimacy because it took place under gross violations of the law, justice, and democratic principles,” Heche said.
The disputed election led to days of protests in which hundreds of people died and more than 2,000 others were arrested.
Tanzanian activists had planned a follow-up protest earlier this week, but human rights groups reported a crackdown and police were deployed heavily in major cities ahead of the protests.
The Southern African Development Community concluded that Tanzania’s election fell short of democratic standards due to irregularities, restricted access for political party agents, and some voters being unable to vote.
The country’s internet connection was shut down on election day and for the next 10 days, drawing concerns from human rights organizations.
Chadema’s Chairperson Tundu Lissu has been in prison since April, when he was arrested and charged with treason for calling for electoral reforms.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who won in a landslide, vowed to unite the country during her inauguration while blaming the election violence on foreigners.
Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and gunshot injuries.
A crowd runs in panic along a dusty street. Shots ring out. A woman wearing a purple jacket carrying a stick falls to the ground.
Another woman can be heard pleading, “Mama, mama, stand,” as she tries to lift her. Blood is spreading around her stomach as another stain appears on her back.
This verified footage, filmed in Tanzania’s city of Arusha, is just one of many graphic scenes to have emerged showing the violent actions of police as they attempted to crush widespread protests last month during the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
The protests started in the city of Dar es Salaam on 29 October and spread across the country over the following days. The demonstrations had largely been organised by young people left angry at what they see as a political system dominated by one party since Tanzania gained independence in the 1960s.
Several opposition leaders were arrested and others banned from standing during the elections while a number of opposition activists were detained. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan ultimately secured victory after the electoral commission declared she received 98% of the vote.
Since then the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had reports indicating that hundreds of people were killed during the protests, with many more injured or detained. A diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
Footage of the protests was suppressed for almost a week when the government imposed a near-total internet blackout and threatened to jail anyone caught sharing any videos from the protests, saying it could cause unrest.
Only once the block was lifted on 4 November did dozens of videos begin to emerge online showing violent scenes: uniformed officers appearing to fire at crowds, bodies lying on the streets, with others piled up outside a hospital.
To understand what happened, BBC Verify has analysed, geolocated and confirmed footage, building a clearer picture of how police responded to the demonstrations.
[BBC]
Violence in Tanzania’s largest city
In the footage our team has verified the protests appear to have been dominated by groups of young men, drawing strong parallels with a global Gen-Z youth movement frustrated at economic decline and entrenched leadership in countries across Africa.
The first demonstrations we identified took place early on election day in Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city and economic hub. They spread to other urban areas across the country, including the cities of Mwanza and Arusha.
The internet blackout makes it difficult to establish a clear sequence of events, but what is clear from videos and images posted online is that protesters were confronted by heavily armed police units blocking their progress and firing tear gas to disperse crowds. In many of the videos, gunfire can clearly be heard as people scatter in the ensuing chaos.
Police used tear gas to disperse crowds [Reuters]
A key flashpoint was along the Morogoro Road, a main highway through Dar es Salaam. In two separate highly graphic videos, two bodies can be seen lying on the side road next to St Andrew’s Anglican Church. One lies unresponsive, with heavy wounds visible on their head, surrounded by a pool of blood.
We identified more bodies lying nearby around the same stretch of road: one next to a bus stop and two more on the ground surrounded by blood. One body is later seen wrapped in a white shroud.
Further casualties are also visible along this stretch of highway and in the neighbouring side streets.
[BBC]
Footage from another location close to the Open University of Tanzania shows a motionless body on the ground with an open head wound. In a later video taken from the same scene we see the body covered in a cloth and carried towards a group of policemen standing by the university building.
“Killers, killers,” the group chants at the officers, one of whom is armed with a rifle, another carries a pistol. The body is then placed in the back of a truck.
BBC Verify has confirmed at least a dozen other videos from Dar es Salaam showing people with a range of injuries, some of whom are being carried away.
[Reuters]
We have also documented casualties from protests more than 700 miles (1125km) away in Tanzania’s second-largest city, Mwanza, that took place on election day.
Within the grounds of the city’s Sekou Toure Hospital, several videos show a pile of 10 bodies, all of whom appear to be young men. Some of them have visible open wounds. Other footage from within the hospital shows bodies laid out in what appears to be a hospital morgue.
Footage shows police firing on crowds
We have verified multiple videos of police shooting towards groups of protesters.
In three videos posted online, police vehicles are seen chasing dozens of people as the attempt to flee along Nelson Mandela Road in Dar es Salaam. Several rounds of gunfire can be heard as the police advance.
Armed police chase fleeing protesters in Dar es Salaam as shots ring out [Douyin]
In Arusha, footage shows a police vehicle passing a crowd of chanting youths. Gunshots ring out and people are seen scattering and running for safety. Another video taken shows an injured man with those around him saying he’s been shot.
In the northern Kijitonyama area of Dar es Salaam, two men in uniform were filmed taking aim and firing along a main road in the direction of protests. We have confirmed the location next to a local school. The green uniforms and flat-topped peak caps worn by the two men closely match those worn by the Tanzanian police.
Men in police uniform take aim towards protesters [X]
Less than 100 metres away a man is shown lying on the street with a bloody head wound. In the distance, men wearing similar green uniforms can be seen. Someone shouts: “He has been shot in the head. They have killed [him].” As the video continues, more gunshots can be heard.
There are also multiple videos seen by BBC Verify of men in the same green uniforms firing weapons – sometimes into the air, sometimes along open streets.
Investigators from audio forensics experts, Earshot, said what can be heard in those videos confirms live rounds were used on protesters.
After analysing the audio from the scene, they said: “Rubber bullets typically do not travel at supersonic speeds.
“The presence of these shockwaves therefore indicates the use of live rounds.”
Not all the people we’ve seen carrying guns are wearing uniforms. In footage filmed in Sam Nujoma Road, Dar es Salaam, three men in civilian clothing are seen firing guns by a saloon car. It’s unclear who they are.
[TikTok]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for an investigation into the killings and other violations committed during Tanzania’s elections, and for the unconditional release of all those arrested before the vote took place and others who have since been detained.
The Tanzanian government and police have been contacted for comment.
ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AP) — When darkness came, so did the smoke.
Hamna Silima Nyange, like half of the 2 million people in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, did not have a house connected to the electricity grid. After sunset, she would turn to smoky oil lamps that provided the only light for her eight children to study.
”The light was too weak,” Nyange said. “And the smoke from the lamp hurt my eyes.”
Then one day a neighbor, Tatu Omary Hamad, installed solar panels and bulbs that lit her home with help from the strong sunlight along the Indian Ocean coast.
“Today we have enough light,” Nyange said.
Training women to be solar technicians
“Solar Mama” technicians walk on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
“Solar Mama” technicians walk on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
Hamad is one of dozens of “solar mamas” trained in Zanzibar by Barefoot College International, a global nonprofit, through a program that brings light to rural communities and provides jobs for local women. So far in Zanzibar, it has lit 1,845 homes.
The program selects middle-aged women, most with little or no formal education, from villages without electricity and trains them over six months to become solar power technicians. It is one of a small number of programs in Africa including Solar Sister.
The women return to their communities with at least 50 sets of household solar panel kits as well as the skills and equipment to set them up and keep them running.
Barefoot College International focuses on middle-aged women because they tend to have the strongest links to their communities while not often involved in intensive child care.
“We want to train women who become change makers,” said Brenda Geofrey, the director of Barefoot College International Zanzibar.
The Zanzibar campus is in its 10th year of teaching local women. Before that, it sent women for training in India, where Barefoot College International was founded.
“Solar Mama” technicians walk into a classroom on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
“Solar Mama” technicians walk into a classroom on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
One was Khazija Gharib Issa, who had been an unemployed widow. Now she is a master trainer.
“I got a job. I got a place to stay. Before, I didn’t have one,” Issa said.
The importance of health
Improving health is at the heart of the program’s mission.
Alongside its flagship solar power course, Barefoot College International offers programs for women in tailoring, beekeeping and sustainable agriculture. Every woman who completes a program is trained in general health knowledge that they are expected to take back to their villages.
The “solar mamas” are health catalysts in another way, by replacing harmful light sources like kerosene.
A “Solar Mama” technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
A “Solar Mama” technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
“Using kerosene has many problems,” said Jacob Dianga, a health care worker at a local clinic who is familiar with the group’s work. The fuel can irritate the eyes, while inhaling its smoke can cause long-term lung damage. It’s also a fire hazard in cramped homes and shops, and can poison children who mistake it for a drink.
“Clean energy is very important,” Dianga said. “It helps protect our health.”
Challenges remain
Barefoot College International has scaled up across Africa, with other campuses in Madagascar and Senegal. In recent years, women have been brought to Zanzibar from Malawi and Somaliland, and this year some are being recruited from Central African Republic.
A “Solar Mama” technician takes a training session on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
A “Solar Mama” technician takes a training session on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
Funding remains a challenge as major donors, notably the United States and European ones, cut foreign aid and projects face more competition for money that remains.
Barefoot College International is run with public and private donations and revenue generated by its social enterprises.
Another challenge is resistance in local communities, where some people find it hard to accept the women technicians in a radical new gender role.
While the solar training program recruits with the approval of village leadership, who put forward candidates, some husbands have stopped their wives from training.
“In most African communities, women are pictured as somebody who is just at home,” Geofrey said.
But the solar mamas say the results often speak for themselves.
“People used to say this work is for men. They were surprised and laughed at me,” Issa said. “But now they see how important my work is. I have become an example.”
A “Solar Mama” technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
A “Solar Mama” technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
The deputy leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, is facing terrorism charges, two weeks after his arrest in the capital Dodoma, his lawyer has said.
John Heche is now being held in the main city Dar es Salaam, where he was informed of the charges, his lawyer Hekima Mwasipu told BBC Swahili. It is unclear when he will appear in court.
The government did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
He was arrested ahead of last week’s elections, denounced by the opposition as a “sham”. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday after being declared the winner with 98% of the vote.
Chadema’s chairman, Tundu Lissu, remains in detention on treason charges, which he denies.
The elections were marred by widespread protests and deadly violence, with observers saying they fell short of democratic standards.
On Wednesday, African Union (AU) observers described the election as “compromised”, saying they witnessed ballot stuffing and multiple ballots being issued to voters.
“The 2025 Tanzania General Elections did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections,” the initial report from the AU mission said, in a rare rebuke over the conduct of an election.
The mission said Tanzania should “prioritise electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges”.
Earlier, observers from the regional Southern African community (Sadc), which includes Tanzania, said the vote did not meet the requirements of a free and fair elections.
The Tanzanian government has insisted that the election was fair and transparent.
In the aftermath, families have been searching for, or burying, relatives killed in the clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters during the elections.
Chadema previously told the AFP news agency that there were “no less than 800” deaths by Saturday, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
The government has sought to downplay the scale of the violence and has dismissed the number of deaths given by the opposition as greatly exaggerated.
During her inauguration ceremony, President Samia acknowledged the “loss of lives and destruction of public property”, but added that it was “not surprising” that some of those arrested were foreign nationals.
Ahead of the election, rights groups had condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a “wave of terror” involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures. The government rejected the claims.
Because of his detention, Lissu was unable to contest the presidential election and his party boycotted the vote. Another key opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, was disqualified on legal technicalities.
Heche was arrested on 22 October, a week before the election.
On Wednesday, his lawyer told the BBC that he had visited Heche at the police station in Dar es Salaam and said he was not in good health. He added that they had filed a petition seeking his release on bail.
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[Getty Images/BBC]
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DODOMA (Reuters) -Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn into office on Monday for her first elected term after winning a landslide victory in an election that set off deadly protests across the country.
Hassan, who came to power in 2021 following the death in office of her predecessor, was declared the winner of last week’s election with 97.66% of the vote.
Wearing a red head scarf and dark glasses, she took the oath of office at a ceremony on a military base in the administrative capital Dodoma.
Hassan, 65, ran against only candidates from minor parties after her main challengers from the two biggest opposition parties were disqualified from the race.
Violent protests erupted during last Wednesday’s voting, with some demonstrators setting fire to government buildings and police firing tear gas and gunshots, according to witnesses.
The main opposition party said hundreds of people had been killed in the protests, while the U.N. human rights office said credible reports indicated at least 10 people were killed in three cities.
The government dismissed the opposition’s death toll as “hugely exaggerated”. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures.
(Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Aaron Ross)
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo on Sunday appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Sudan, saying he was following with “great sorrow” reports of terrible brutality in the city of Al-Fashir in Darfur.
“Indiscriminate violence against women and children, attacks on defenceless civilians and serious obstacles to humanitarian action are causing unacceptable suffering,” the pope said during his weekly Angelus address to crowds in St. Peter’s Square.
He called on the international community to act “decisively and generously” to support relief efforts.
The U.N. human rights office said on Friday that hundreds of civilians and unarmed fighters may have been killed late last month when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured Al-Fashir, the Sudanese army’s last major holdout in Darfur.
The city fell a week ago after an 18-month siege, prompting tens of thousands to flee.
Pope Leo also addressed the situation in Tanzania on Sunday, saying there had been clashes with numerous casualties after recent national elections. He urged all sides to avoid violence and “walk the path of dialogue”.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Jan Harvey)
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania’s presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.
According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday’s election.
International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.
The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence – and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.
“I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party,” Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.
Samia secured about 31.9 million votes, or 97.66% of the total, with turnout nearing 87% of the country’s 37.6 million registered voters, the electoral chief said.
In Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar – which elects its own government and leader – CCM’s Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.
The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been “massive fraud”, the AP news agency reported.
Mwinyi’s swearing-in ceremony is under way at Amaan Complex stadium in Zanzibar.
Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia’s posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.
No protests were reported on Saturday morning, but tension remained high in Dar es Salaam streets, where security forces manned roadblocks across the city.
The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.
They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders – one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.
A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that “around 700” people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a “few isolated pockets of incidents here and there” and said “security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation”.
There were two main opposition contenders – Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party – but he was excluded on legal technicalities.
Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.
Samia’s ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country’s politics and has never lost an election since independence.
Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a “wave of terror” involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.
The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.
Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.
[Getty Images/BBC]
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(Reuters) -Tanzania’s electoral commission declared on Saturday that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had won, with nearly 98% of the votes, an election that set off violent protests across the country this week.
The result hands Hassan, who took power in 2021 after the death in office of her predecessor, a five-year term to govern the East African country of 68 million people.
Protests erupted during Wednesday’s vote for president and parliament, with some demonstrators tearing down banners of Hassan and setting fire to government buildings and police firing teargas and gunshots, according to witnesses.
Demonstrators are angry about the electoral commission’s exclusion of Hassan’s two biggest challengers from the race and what they described as widespread repression.
Tanzania’s main opposition party said on Friday hundreds of people had been killed in the protests, while the U.N. human rights office said credible reports indicated at least 10 people were killed in three cities.
The government dismissed the opposition’s death toll as “hugely exaggerated” and has rejected criticisms of its human rights record.
Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures.
(Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Clarence Fernandez)
Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country’s army chief to end the unrest.
Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday’s election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.
The UN has called on the East African nation’s security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.
“We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed,” Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing “credible sources”.
Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.
Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.
The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.
The electoral commission has announced results from about 80 regions of the country’s total 100 regions, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.
President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.
Official results are expected on Saturday.
Tanzania’s chief Muslim cleric – Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally – has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.
On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.
“Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately,” Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had “controlled the situation”.
But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
On Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar – which elects its own government and leader – the CCM’s Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.
The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been “massive fraud”, the AP news agency reported.
Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.
The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia’s chances of winning.
Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.
The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.
Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.
Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.
She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.
More about Tanzania from the BBC:
[Getty Images/BBC]
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Protests have escalated in major cities across Tanzania as opposition supporters denounce Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary elections as a sham.
Hundreds of demonstrators also crossed into Kenyan territory, barricading roads, lighting bonfires and tearing down posters of President Samia Suluhu Hassan along the way.
Kenyan police said two people died after fleeing running battles with Tanzanian police.
Protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia’s chances of winning.
Anger grew on Thursday after the electoral commission started announcing results, with Samia getting nearly 95% of the vote in south-western Mbea province.
She has also taken the lead in many other constituencies on the mainland and in Zanzibar.
European Union (EU) lawmakers call the election a “fraud” that had been “unfolding for months”.
Polling day itself was marred by clashes between opposition supporters and the police.
A day later, Tanzanian military chief Gen Jacob Mkunda blamed “bad characters who wish ill for this country” for the “damage to property and people” during the vote.
Gunfire was heard in the northern city of Mwanza, while clashes broke out in the capital, Dodoma, and the main city Dar es Salaam, which is under heavy security with major roads blocked.
Kenya has warned its citizens not to join protests at the border town of Namanga, where businesses were paralysed.
Tanzanian police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters who engaged in them in running battles for most of the day.
The US Embassy in Tanzania reported that the road to Dar es Salaam’s international airport was among several major routes that remained closed on Thursday.
An eyewitness told the BBC that he saw hundreds of protesters pouring into Mwanza city, which lies on the shores of Lake Victoria and has the biggest population after Dar es Salaam.
“After barely 10 minutes, we started hearing gunfire and tear gas explosions,” he said.
“We see some injured people are being evacuated towards our way.”
The government has ordered civil servants to work from home until Friday as tensions escalate.
Rights group Amnesty International said reports that a civilian and a police officer had been killed in clashes on Wednesday were “deeply disturbing”.
Several people were injured on voting day as protesters clashed with the police [BBC]
A night-time curfew was imposed in Dar es Salaam, with sources telling the BBC that the city’s Muhimbili Hospital had seen an influx of wounded patients.
Internet connectivity remains severely disrupted across the country – a situation Amnesty warns could further inflame the situation. It called on the authorities to allow unrestricted access to information.
In the meantime protesters are said to be using a walkie-talkie app, called Zello, to plan their next moves.
President Samia is widely expected to secure a second term after opposition candidates were barred from running. The poll is also anticipated to be shoo-in for her party, which has never lost an election since independence.
Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.
Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest against Samia.
The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.
Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president following the death in office of President John Magufuli.
She was initially praised for easing political repression under her predecessor, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.
Additional reporting by Natasha Booty and Richard Kagoe
More about Tanzania from the BBC:
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(Reuters) -Police in Tanzania’s main city of Dar es Salaam fired gunshots and teargas on Thursday to disperse protesters who returned to the streets a day after a general election marred by violent demonstrations, a Reuters witness said.
Protests broke out in Dar es Salaam and several other cities during the vote on Wednesday, with demonstrators infuriated by the exclusion of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two biggest challengers from the presidential race, as well as what they say is increasing repression of government critics.
Police ordered an overnight curfew in Dar es Salaam, a city of more than seven million people, and internet access remained disrupted across the country.
Dozens of protesters returned to the streets of the Mbagala, Gongo la Mboto and Kiluvya neighbourhoods on Thursday, where police fired gunshots and teargas, the Reuters witness said.
PROTESTERS DISCUSS PLANS FOR NEW MARCHES
The U.S. embassy said that some major roads, including the main one leading to Dar es Salaam’s international airport, were closed.
On the Zello app, which allows a smartphone to function like a walkie-talkie, some protesters discussed plans for further demonstrations, including marches on government buildings.
Spokespeople for the Tanzanian government and police did not respond to requests for comment.
The unrest, which included the burning of at least one government office, presents a major test for Hassan.
She won plaudits after taking office in 2021 for easing repression of political opponents and censorship that had increased under her predecessor John Magufuli.
In recent years, however, rights campaigners and opposition candidates have accused the government of unexplained abductions of its critics.
Hassan said last year she had ordered an investigation into reports of abductions, but no official findings have been made public.
CIVIL SERVANTS AND STUDENTS TOLD TO STAY HOME
In a post on his Instagram account, government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa said all civil servants should work from home on Thursday except for those whose duties require them to be present at their workplaces.
The state television channel also announced that students should study from home on Thursday.
Tanzania’s main opposition party CHADEMA had called for protests during the election, which it said amounted to a “coronation” of Hassan.
CHADEMA was disqualified in April from the election, which also included votes for members of parliament and officials for the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, after it refused to sign a code of conduct, and its leader Tundu Lissu was charged with treason.
The commission also disqualified the candidate for opposition party ACT-Wazalendo, leaving only minor parties to take on Hassan.
(Writing by Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Aaron Ross and Gareth Jones)
(Reuters) -Tanzanian police declared a curfew in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Wednesday after violent protests marred an election that President Samia Suluhu Hassan was expected to win following the disqualification of the leading opposition candidates.
The curfew was announced by the police chief on the state broadcaster.
(Writing by Elias Biryabarema;Editing by Alexander Winning)
Police in Tanzania’s main city Dar es Salaam have fired tear gas to disperse opposition supporters protesting against the general election taking place in the East African state.
The election is expected to be a shoo-in for President Samia Suluhu and her ruling party, as the main opposition leader is in in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party has boycotted the vote.
Several people have been injured in the confrontation after groups of protesters gathered along major highways to demand electoral reforms, and free political activity.
Reports say that voter turnout in Dar es Salaam was low when polls opened on Wednesday, with many hesitant to show up amid safety concerns.
A police spokesperson assured the public there was no threat to their safety, saying “people should come out and vote”, according to a message posted on social media.
More than 37 million registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the presidential and parliamentary election.
Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, have been cleared to contest against President Samia, who is seeking a second term.
The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.
President Samia is expected to win the election [BBC]
Samia’s ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country’s politics and has never lost an election since independence.
Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a “wave of terror” involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.
The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.
Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.
She was initially praised for easing political repression under her predecessor, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.
The electoral body is expected to announce results in three days after voting ends.
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[Getty Images/BBC]
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Fresh trauma arrives with every election season in Tanzania for 42-year-old Mariam Staford.
For most, the fiesta-like rallies and songs, along with the campaign messages, signal a chance for people to make their voice heard. But for those with albinism, they bring terror.
Warning: This article contains details of graphic violence that some people may find upsetting
“The first thing that comes to me is fear,” Mariam tells the BBC as people prepare to vote for a president and parliament on Wednesday.
“I know that killings of people with albinism happen especially at election time in Tanzania, when witchcraft beliefs intensify. That’s why I don’t take part in campaigns… I am so afraid.”
Albinism, which affects an estimated 30,000 people in Tanzania, is a rare genetic condition that reduces melanin – the pigment that gives colour to skin, eyes and hair.
Superstition has made those with the condition targets. The false belief that body parts of people with albinism bring wealth, luck, or political success have driven attacks and killings across Tanzania.
Activists say such assaults intensify in the run-up to an election as people vie for political influence.
Mariam knows what this danger looks and feels like personally.
In 2008, one of the bloodiest years for people with albinism in Tanzania as preparations for local elections were under way, machete-wielding men stormed into her bedroom in Kagera, a north-western border region.
“They came at a late hour of the night, cut off my right hand [from above the elbow] and took it away, and then they also cut off my left hand.
“The next day I was taken to a dispensary, unconscious, and the doctor who saw me said: ‘This person is already dead, take her back home and bury her’”.
Against the odds, Mariam survived; but she was five months pregnant and her unborn child did not.
Campaigning is under way for Wednesday’s elections [AFP via Getty Images]
The attack not only left her with permanent disabilities but forced her to abandon Kagera, one of the epicentres of ritualistic killings of people with albinism at the time.
She eventually resettled in the relative peace of Kilimanjaro region, where a rights group for people with albinism, Under the Same Sun, built her a house and trained her to use a knitting machine. She now makes sweaters.
Seventeen years on, the trauma has not faded.
“Even now, I sometimes dream of that night,” Mariam says. “When I wake up, I touch my arms and remember they are not there. It is something I will never escape.”
What happened to Miriam was one of scores of attacks targeting people with albinism and their body parts.
Under The Same Sun says there have been 211 such incidents in Tanzania since 2008:
79 people have been killed
100 people were mutilated but survived
Three victims were not injured
Two people were abducted and remain missing
27 graves have been desecrated and body parts looted.
In 2008 alone as many as 35 people with albinism were murdered, while many other deaths probably went unreported.
Those killings drew global condemnation, prompting a government crackdown. The president at the time, Jakaya Kikwete, condemned the attacks and called for tough action against the killers.
As a result, Tanzania stepped up investigations when it came to witchcraft-related killings of people with albinism and tightened laws against discrimination.
There have also been attempts to raise public awareness about the issue.
At a traffic roundabout in the town of Sengerema in the north-west, a monument has been built to commemorate the children, women and men with albinism who have lost their lives or were maimed in attacks.
The life-size metal statue shows a father lifting a child with albinism onto his shoulders while the mother shields it from the sun.
Mariam’s name is carved in the monument.
So is that of Mariamu Emmanuel, who was just five when she was killed in 2008.
“I was eight years old, and saw her legs, hands and tongue removed by the attackers””, Source: Manyashi Emmannuel, Source description: Brother of attack victim, Image: A head and shoulders image of Manyashi Emmannuel.
Sitting at his home in Mwanza, her brother, Manyashi Emmannuel, now 25, recalls that day. The pain still haunts him.
“I was eight years old, and saw her legs, hands and tongue removed by the attackers. Ever since then, I have been scared. It is most difficult at times when we hear of attacks close to elections.”
Despite the awareness campaigns, the attacks are still continuing.
One has been recorded this year, in the north-western town of Simuyu, in June. The victim was unharmed but has now been moved to a safe house.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan recently warned against what she called harmful traditional beliefs, saying they had no place in Tanzania’s elections.
Senyi Ngaga, a district commissioner of one of the areas prone to attacks, says government education campaigns have raised understanding, but rural areas remain vulnerable to superstitions as well as discrimination.
She wants more involvement from everyone in the community to stop the attacks.
“We recently held a festival with traditional healers where we sat together and talked,” the commissioner tells the BBC.
“As the election approaches, we also advised them to be good ambassadors to tell others to reject such acts and ensure that people with albinism are protected.”
A monument has been built to commemorate the people with albinism who’ve been attacked [BBC]
While campaign groups and survivors say much more work still needs to be done by the government, some progress has been made.
Awareness drives, civil society programmes, and school inclusion initiatives have helped reduce attacks in some areas.
Communities are slowly beginning to understand that people with albinism are not cursed and that superstitions can have deadly consequences.
But the murder last year of two-year-old Asimwe Novath, abducted from her home in Kagera region, was a reminder that the issue has not gone away.
Witnesses said the toddler was taken by force by two unidentified men while she played with her mother.
Seventeen days later, parts of Asimwe’s body were found in a sack, discarded under a bridge in the same region. Her remains were later buried at her family home.
Nine suspects have been charged with premeditated murder in connection with the killing, but the case has not concluded.
For Mariam, the case brought up troubling memories.
“It took me back to my own night of attack back in 2008. I know that pain, and I know her mother will never forget it.”
Her experience means that fear is part of her everyday life. She avoids crowds and rarely leaves home unaccompanied.
As Wednesday’s vote approaches, Mariam says she will not cast a ballot, sceptical about what difference it will make to her life.
Instead, she will spend the day quietly at home in Kilimanjaro.
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[Getty Images/BBC]
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NAIROBI (Reuters) -A senior official from Tanzania’s main opposition was arrested on Wednesday outside the court where the treason trial of its leader was under way, a party spokesperson said, a week before a presidential election.
The East African nation’s two largest opposition parties – CHADEMA and ACT-Wazalendo – are barred from contesting the October 29 election, leaving incumbent Samia Suluhu Hassan facing only smaller party candidates.
In the lead-up to the vote, opposition politicians and human rights groups have accused the government of abductions and arrests of political opponents.
Hassan has said that her government is committed to respecting human rights and ordered an investigation into reports of abductions last year. No official findings have been made public.
CHADEMA deputy chair John Heche was being held at the central police station in the country’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam, the party’s Secretary General John Mnyika told reporters, adding that officials had given no reason for his detention.
Heche was detained outside the city’s high court when he arrived to attend the trial of party leader Tundu Lissu, party spokesperson Brenda Rupia said on social media platform X.
She said police had yet to disclose the reason for his arrest and had transferred him to Tarime in northwest Tanzania without giving any further details.
The immigration department said in a statement on Saturday that Heche had left the country without following procedures. His party denied the accusations, saying he had been expected to attend the funeral of Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Tanzanian government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment on Wednesday’s arrest. Senior police commanders Jumanne Muliro and Yustino Mgonja could not immediately be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Muvija M)
BOULDER, Colo. — As the world mourns the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall, we are hearing from a close friend of hers who lives in Boulder.
Marc Bekoff is a professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and was a longtime friend of Goodall. The two wrote a book together, co-authored many articles and were just finishing writing a children’s book together when she died.
Marc Bekoff
Thursday afternoon, Bekoff spoke with Denver7 anchor Shannon Ogden about what Goodall meant to him, CU Boulder and the world.
“True friend. I could go to her with professional and personal things to discuss, and she was always there, 100%,” Bekoff said. “People saw her as a pillar of hope, a woman who was dedicated to improving the well-being of animals, people and their homes — animals, people and their environments. Just a pillar of hope, like I said. Real positive.”
Goodall, known affectionately as Dr. Jane, was known worldwide for her 65-year study of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania and her global advocacy for human rights, animal welfare and environmental protection. She was a frequent visitor and guest lecturer at CU Boulder.
Marc Bekoff
Ogden asked Bekoff what was something most of us didn’t know about Goodall. For one, Bekoff said, she was wickedly funny. She also had a signature drink.
“She loved single malt scotch, and it was called her cough medicine,” Bekoff recalled. “That’s what she called it. So whenever I would see her, I would bring her a little flask and I’d say, ‘Excuse me, Jane. I have your cough medicine.’”
Jane Goodall died of natural causes Wednesday at her home. She was 91.
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The room pulsed with the beat as bass from the speakers reverberated off the walls. At Club NOTO on Saturday night, the crowd pressed toward the stage while Uncle Waffles commanded the decks beneath a glowing backdrop of a cartoon woman flying through city streets on a motorcycle. Chants of “Waffles” rang through the room as the dance floor continued to fill with people. Uncle Waffles had touched down in Houston.
The DJ and producer, born Lungelihle Zwane in Eswatini, had become one of the brightest lights of the Amapiano movement. Based in South Africa, she built her reputation on high-energy performances where music, movement, and atmosphere converged.
She first broke through in 2021 when a clip of her dancing behind the decks to Young Stunna’s “Adiwele” went viral. That moment introduced the world to a performer who paired technical mixing with undeniable stage presence. Since then she released multi-platinum singles like “Tanzania,” dropped well-received projects including Red Dragon, Asylum, and Solace, and grew her profile with nonstop touring across Europe, North America, and Australia.
She became the first Amapiano artist to perform at Coachella, headlined Brooklyn Mirage in New York as the first Black woman DJ to do so, and earned recognition from global stars after Beyoncé incorporated her music into the Renaissance World Tour. Those milestones, along with multiple award nominations and a growing fan base, cemented her as one of the leading figures taking Amapiano from its South African roots to an international stage.
Audiences at NOTO witnessed a night that reflected the qualities that made her a worldwide draw. Fresh off of recent shows including New York, London, and Dallas Uncle Waffles is straight to the point, delivering high paced beats to an audience dedicated to dance. The room was awash with energy as bottle girls moved through the crow holding flashing sparklers, fans stood on couches cheering and blowing whistles, and peopledanced amongst the heat.
Her stage name had its roots in high school. Friends first called her “Waffles,” and later added the “Uncle” for flair, creating a moniker that was both playful and unforgettable. The combination stuck, and the name now echoes in chants at clubs and festivals around the world.
As an artist, Uncle Waffles has always been more than a DJ dropping tracks. She embodies the music physically, moving in rhythm with every transition and every drop. That connection between body and sound has made her sets as much a performance as they are a party. She represents a new generation of African artists expanding the reach of Amapiano, not by diluting its sound but by amplifying its energy for audiences far beyond Johannesburg.
For fans in Houston who packed into Club NOTO, the night offered both a glimpse of the genre’s global rise and a firsthand reminder of why Uncle Waffles has become its most visible ambassador.
