CNN INVESTIGATION: How Tanzania Police Killed Hundreds In Horrific Polls

CNN INVESTIGATION: How Tanzania Police Killed Hundreds In Horrific Polls

A CNN investigation found that violence broke out amid protests in the weeks following Tanzania’s presidential election.

The investigation, which examined geolocated recordings, audio evidence, and witness reports, demonstrated the extent of disruption when President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared winner with 98% of the vote on October 29.

Some of her key challengers were forbidden from running, sparking protests around the country.

CNN authenticated videos of crowded morgues, which corroborated witness allegations of casualties during the violence.

According to CNN, satellite pictures and videos indicate newly disturbed soil at Kondo cemetery, located north of Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania tried to suppress this story from getting out.

But we’re telling it to the world on TV and online pic.twitter.com/F2M8p6hpdq
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) November 21, 2025

Human rights organizations and witnesses suggest some demonstrators’ bodies may have been buried at the cemetery.

The authorities imposed a curfew and an internet blackout in the days following the election.

When connectivity was partially restored, police reportedly banned the sharing of photographs and videos that were likely to provoke panic.

The government first denied that any demonstrators had been slain.

Last week, President Suluhu acknowledged some casualties but did not offer details, establishing a commission to investigate the violence and implying that some demonstrators may have been bribed.

CNN claimed that the Tanzanian administration and police did not reply to demands for comment.

Geolocated videos from the scenes, audio forensic analysis of the shots fired and first-hand accounts from witnesses and victims document the brutality unleashed on young demonstrators following the re-election of President Samia Suluhu Hassan – who claimed she won with 98% of… pic.twitter.com/VEl6voRo1J
— CNN Africa (@CNNAfrica) November 21, 2025

The United Nations Human Rights Office, citing multiple sources, indicated that hundreds of protesters and civilians may have been killed, with an unknown number injured or detained.

CNN, in collaboration with open-source investigators, reviewed videos and images showing victims and overcrowded morgues at Sekou-Toure Regional Referral Hospital in Mwanza and Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam.

In Mwanza, photos show at least 10 bodies on a stretcher outside the hospital.

A doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, described treating gunshot victims over four days and said bodies were brought to the morgue until it reached capacity.

“All had sustained gunshot wounds in different parts of the body, including the head, abdomen, chest, and limbs,” the doctor said.

In Dar es Salaam, video footage verified by CNN shows multiple bodies on the floor at Mwananyamala Hospital. The Ministry of Health denied the authenticity of the footage.

A woman who requested anonymity said she recognised her brother among the deceased, who she said was killed during protests near his home.

Families in Kigoma, Tanzania, recount how police officers moved door to door, arresting young people for no reason and harassing residents during and after election day. pic.twitter.com/DGew5xtgrv
— The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) November 7, 2025

Demonstrations started shortly after polling on October 29 and lasted several days in some regions.

CNN-verified footage from Arusha appears to show a pregnant woman and a young man being shot. Witnesses claimed the woman was three months pregnant.

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An audio analysis by a forensic specialist assessed that the rounds were fired from a distance.

Drone footage also shows demonstrators running as armed individuals allegedly fire into civilian neighborhoods.

Some footage shows men dressed in civilian clothes working alongside uniformed police officers in Ubungo.

Opposition party officials claim that bodies were disposed of at hidden locations, although these assertions have not been independently verified.

CNN INVESTIGATION: How Tanzania Police Killed Hundreds In Horrific Polls