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U.S. Launches Review of Relations With Tanzania Over Post‑Election Crackdown

The move follows UN findings of at least 700 killings after the Oct. 29 vote.

Overview

  • The State Department announced a comprehensive reassessment of ties, citing repression, investment obstacles, and violence that it says put American citizens and interests at risk.
  • Officials said future engagement will depend on the Tanzanian government’s actions in response to post‑election abuses.
  • The UN human rights office estimated at least 700 extrajudicial killings and reported more than 1,700 arbitrary detentions in the crackdown.
  • A CNN investigation documented police and armed men fatally shooting unarmed protesters and pointed to suspected mass graves north of Dar es Salaam using geolocated videos, audio forensics, and eyewitness accounts.
  • President Samia Suluhu Hassan claimed a 98% win after barring chief rivals, protests spread as authorities imposed an internet blackout and arrested opposition figures, and she later defended the force used while acknowledging unspecified casualties; Meta also confirmed restrictions on two activists’ accounts, including one locked after a government legal order.