US-Tanzania ties uncertain following deadly post-election crackdown
The US State Department said it is “comprehensively reviewing” its ties with Tanzania and condemned “repression” and “disturbing violence against civilians” during protests that followed the country’s disputed October presidential election, which returned President Samia Suluhu Hassan to power.
Effectively, Washington puts it long-standing partnership with Tanzania on ice, initiating a comprehensive review of the relationship following a brutal government crackdown after the nation’s chaotic October 29, 2025 elections.
The move comes amid harrowing reports of widespread violence, mass detentions, and the killing of hundreds of civilians. This diplomatic fallout directly threatens regional stability and the livelihoods of many Kenyans.
The political turmoil in the neighbouring state has begun to choke off a vital economic artery for Kenya, as trade at key border points grinds to a halt, jeopardizing a significant portion of the Sh67 billion in goods Kenya exported to Tanzania in 2024.
Officials said the government’s actions raise serious concerns about the bilateral relationship and the East African countries’ reliability as a partner.
According to the country’s main opposition party, the United Nations and several rights groups, hundreds of people may have been killed as a result of the government crackdown on protestors, though the government has not released an official death toll and independent verification remains limited.
It comes just days after Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan angrily hit out Western nations, religious leaders and opposition figures, accusing them of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
“Do they still think they’re still our masters, our colonizers? Why, because of the little money they give us?” she told a gathering of elders from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
Hassan described the deadly violence as an attempted coup and defended security forces accused of killing hundreds of protesters.
“Were these really demonstrations or acts of violence? People were destroying government buildings, raiding police stations, and stealing weapons. Police are mandated to protect lives and property. When people say they used excessive force — what were they supposed to do, just sit and watch a coup happening?” She told the applauding crowd.
Hassan claimed she won 98 per cent of the vote in the October 29 election, even though the main opposition parties were blocked from participating and several of their leaders were arrested on treason charges.
Hassan became president in 2021 following the sudden death of President John Magufuli and initially positioned herself as a reformer. But critics say she has continued and intensified the previous regime’s crackdown on dissent.
Opposition leaders deny plotting against the state and say the government’s crackdown has killed more than 2,000 protesters. Dozens have been arrested, opposition offices raided, and prominent organizers forced into hiding. Hundreds of protesters remain missing and are feared dead.
Among those killed was John Oduor, a Kenyan teacher shot in Dar es Salaam on polling day. More than a month later, his body remains in a Tanzanian morgue, and his family has still been unable to repatriate him for a traditional burial.
