President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania…..Photo/IP
By Peter Mwibanda
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
In the tense aftermath of Tanzania’s disputed election, President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has launched an aggressive crackdown on foreigners accused of fueling election unrest.
Human rights groups and analysts warn that the move could deepen the country’s democratic decline and rattle regional stability.
Authorities in Dar es Salaam have deported several foreign nationals, mostly journalists, observers and aid workers, claiming they were “instigating public disorder” and “spreading false narratives.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the operation was necessary to “protect national sovereignty.”
Yet critics say it marks a dangerous slide toward xenophobic populism and state paranoia.
“What we’re witnessing is an extension of the ruling party’s obsession with control,” said a political analyst at the University of Dar es Salaam, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “The government is trying to shift blame for internal failures onto outsiders — a familiar tactic in African strongman politics.”
Election Chaos and the Scapegoat Strategy
Tanzania’s election — once billed as a test of Suluhu’s reformist credentials — turned bloody after security forces opened fire on protesters in Zanzibar and opposition strongholds on the mainland.
Rights groups estimate that dozens were killed and hundreds arrested.
Instead of investigating the killings, the government has turned its fury toward foreigners, accusing them of interfering in the electoral process.
International correspondents have been denied accreditation, civic monitors expelled and local NGOs warned against “colluding with external agents.”
Observers say this approach mirrors the late John Magufuli’s hardline playbook — silencing dissent while appealing to nationalism. “Suluhu inherited a system built on fear and control,” said a regional governance expert. “Her latest actions show she’s not dismantling it — she’s reinforcing it.”
A Deafening Regional Silence
As Tanzania tightens the noose, neighboring countries — Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo — have remained conspicuously silent.
The East African Community (EAC), which champions regional democracy and integration, has issued no formal statement.
Diplomats privately admit that no leader wants to confront Suluhu publicly, fearing it might reopen their own records of election violence and human rights abuse.
“No one wants to throw stones in a glass house,” said a Kenyan foreign policy commentator.
This silence, analysts warn, erodes the moral authority of East African institutions and emboldens authoritarian tendencies across the region.
“When one state bleeds and others look away, the rot spreads,” said the International Crisis Group in a recent statement.
Regional Ramifications and the EAC’s Credibility Test
The clampdown comes as the East African Community struggles to maintain cohesion amid security crises in Sudan and the DRC.
Tanzania’s turn toward repression risks isolating it diplomatically while weakening the EAC’s already fragile democratic reputation.
Foreign investors are also watching nervously.
Tanzania’s tourism and mining sectors — heavily reliant on international capital — could suffer if the political climate continues to deteriorate.
“No one wants to invest in a country where journalists are jailed and foreigners are blamed for everything,” said an economist in Arusha.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders in the region see Tanzania’s descent as a warning.
“If this crackdown succeeds unchecked,” said one Ugandan MP in exile, “it will become a manual for every leader in East Africa — weaponize nationalism, silence critics, and blame outsiders.”
The Blood and the Future
For ordinary Tanzanians, the election’s aftermath has left a trail of fear and disillusionment.
Families of the dead still wait for justice. Youths, once hopeful that Suluhu would open political space, now speak of betrayal.
“The blood has dried, but the wounds remain open,” said a human rights activist in Zanzibar. “Instead of healing the nation, the government is chasing ghosts.”
As Tanzania tightens its borders and expels voices of dissent, one question lingers across East Africa: Who will speak when the next government turns its guns on its own people?
Peter Mwibanda writes on politics, democracy and human rights across Africa.
