Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday amid a nationwide internet blackout following deadly post-election unrest that the opposition claims left hundreds dead.
According to the electoral commission, Hassan secured a landslide victory with 98 percent of the vote.
Her inauguration went ahead despite the main opposition party, Chadema, barred from contesting the polls, dismissing the results and calling for a rerun, denouncing last Wednesday’s election as a “sham.”
Unlike previous inaugurations held in stadiums, Monday’s ceremony took place within the grounds of the State House in Dodoma.
State television showed dignitaries and officials seated in the stands, with the public excluded from attending.
A total shutdown of internet access has persisted since protests erupted on election day, severely restricting the flow of verifiable information from within the country.
A diplomatic source reported credible accounts of “hundreds, perhaps even thousands” of deaths recorded in hospitals and clinics nationwide.
Chadema told AFP that it had documented “no less than 800” deaths by Saturday, though none of these figures could be independently confirmed.
The government has not acknowledged any fatalities, dismissing allegations that security forces used “excessive force.”
As the crisis deepened, schools and universities remained closed on Monday, public transportation was suspended, and some churches reportedly canceled services on Sunday.
The same diplomatic source expressed alarm over reports that police were exploiting the internet blackout to locate and arrest opposition members or protesters believed to possess footage of last week’s alleged atrocities.
Over the weekend, Dar es Salaam and other cities were subdued under near-total lockdowns.
An AFP correspondent described officers stopping nearly everyone on the streets to inspect identification cards and bags, with businesses only allowed to open in the afternoons.
On the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, which experienced fewer protests, AFP journalists observed masked, heavily armed men without visible insignia patrolling public spaces.
Meanwhile, a human rights group in neighboring Kenya released footage purportedly from inside Tanzania, showing bodies strewn across streets, images that have not been independently verified.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged global prayers for Tanzania, warning that post-election violence had erupted “with numerous victims.”
“I urge everyone to avoid all forms of violence and to pursue the path of dialogue,” the pope said.
Hassan, who rose to power in 2021 following the sudden death of former president John Magufuli, reportedly sought an overwhelming victory to solidify her authority and silence dissent within the ruling party.
Rights organizations accused her government of orchestrating a “wave of terror” before the polls, pointing to a series of high-profile abductions that intensified as election day approached.
Despite a heavy police presence, the vote quickly devolved into chaos as protesters clashed with security forces, tore down campaign posters, and attacked polling stations, prompting authorities to impose curfews and cut internet access.
Observers said polling centers were largely empty before violence broke out, though the electoral body later claimed a turnout of 87 percent.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced grave concern over the situation, citing “reports of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations,” his spokesman said last week.
While global responses have been restrained, Kenya’s President William Ruto congratulated Hassan and urged citizens to “uphold peace and the rule of law.” Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi also hailed her “brilliant re-election.”
