Tanzania's Election Unrest Toll Hits 518 in Final Commission Report

The Chande Commission has officially counted 518 people dead from the violence that followed Tanzania's disputed general election in October 2025. The government-appointed panel, led by retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, released its findings one year after the unrest began. The report states that most of the 518 fatalities resulted from unnatural causes, with a large number of victims suffering gunshot wounds. The panel also recorded more than 2,000 injuries.

Othman noted that the death toll could be higher. He explained that some families buried their relatives without taking bodies to morgues or notifying the commission. Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch, agreed with that assessment. Nyeko stated that the actual number of deaths is far greater than the 518 figure presented by the commission.

The violence erupted after the main opposition candidate, Tundu Lissu, was excluded from the race. Lissu, leader of the Tanzanian Party for Democracy and Progress, was arrested and charged with treason in April 2025. His party was barred from the vote. Protesters took to the streets on election day and in the days that followed. They demanded political reforms and the resignation of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Evidence reviewed by Deutsche Welle suggests police forces acted beyond their training and guidelines. The outlet analyzed dozens of videos, interviewed sources, and reviewed a leaked internal police report. The footage shows protesters with gunshot wounds to the head and upper body. It also documents non-protesters shot while fleeing or outside during a government-imposed curfew. The police Field Force Unit, identified by red berets and riot gear, appeared frequently in the footage.

In Mwanza, the country's second-largest city, videos showed the bodies of young men reportedly killed by people in police uniforms. The victims were inside a video hall watching television. Human Rights Watch and the Chande Commission both cited this specific case for further investigation. The Centre for Information Resilience also documented uniformed officers beating civilians with sticks in Dar es Salaam.

Security analyst Nicodemus Minde criticized the commission for leaving key questions unanswered. Minde stated that the report did not identify who was responsible for the violence or why it occurred. The Chande Commission recommended further investigation but did not name any specific security bodies, officers, or commanders. A second inquiry, chaired by retired Justice Shaban Ally Lila, began gathering evidence in August 2026. Its findings are still pending.

Families of the deceased say the process has not restored their trust. In Mwanza, a woman known as Raha, whose name was changed for safety, said her nephew died during the protests. Raha said the government should have offered condolences or asked for forgiveness. Another relative, Zuri, lost both her brother and her son. She asked why the government had not visited the families. Zuri stated that the authorities behave as if nothing happened, leaving her to conclude there is no justice in Tanzania.