Tanzania: Security Forces Shoot Bystanders Dead in Post-Election Crackdown

Last updated: 22 September 2026

Tanzanian security forces opened fire on civilians during post-election unrest, killing bystanders with no involvement in protests. Human Rights Watch is demanding an independent investigation and accountability for the deaths.

Shots Fired at Civilians: What Happened

In the days following Tanzania's disputed elections, security forces deployed in multiple towns and cities opened fire on crowds that included bystanders with no active role in demonstrations. Witness accounts gathered by Human Rights Watch describe security personnel firing live ammunition at people who were standing on sidewalks, watching from doorways, or attempting to flee the area.

At least a dozen civilians are confirmed dead, with dozens more hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The true number of casualties may be significantly higher, as several hospitals have reportedly been instructed not to speak to media or human rights monitors about the patients they have treated.

Documented incidents include the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old child and a street vendor, neither of whom was participating in any demonstration. The killings took place in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, and Mwanza, according to eyewitness testimony corroborated by photographic evidence.

A Pattern of Disproportionate Force

Human rights monitors have noted that the response by Tanzanian security forces follows a pattern observed in previous election cycles: the use of live ammunition and rubber bullets against civilian populations as a first-resort crowd control measure, rather than as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted.

International standards on the use of force by law enforcement — set out in the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials — require that lethal force be used only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. Shooting bystanders who pose no threat unambiguously violates these standards.

Opposition groups allege that the crackdown was planned in advance to prevent mass protests against what they describe as a fraudulent electoral outcome. The government has denied these allegations, characterizing the security response as a proportionate reaction to violent provocation.

"People were running away, not throwing stones — and they were shot in the back. This was an execution, not a policing operation."

— Eyewitness, Dar es Salaam (name withheld for security reasons)

Political Context: An Election Under a Cloud

Tanzania's most recent elections were contested by opposition parties and international observers who raised concerns about electoral irregularities, voter intimidation, and restrictions on campaign activities. The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party has held power continuously since independence and has been accused of using state institutions to consolidate its grip on power.

Independent election monitoring has been severely restricted in recent cycles. Several domestic civil society organizations that attempted to conduct election observation reported harassment and interference by state security agents.

Calls for Independent Investigation

Human Rights Watch has called for an immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into the killings, one that operates free from government interference and has the power to subpoena evidence and compel testimony from security officials.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions has requested access to Tanzania to conduct on-the-ground monitoring. As of March 19, the Tanzanian government has not responded to this request.

Why International Accountability Matters

Without credible accountability, the precedent set by Tanzania's post-election violence risks encouraging similar crackdowns elsewhere in the region. Leaders who observe that lethal force against protesters attracts little more than mild diplomatic statements may conclude that the human cost of staying in power is manageable.

Tanzanian civil society organizations operating in increasingly hostile conditions are urging donors and international partners to make development assistance and diplomatic engagement conditional on measurable improvements in respect for human rights and rule of law.

Sources: Human Rights Watch — hrw.org/news/2026/03/19/tanzania-bystanders-shot-in-post-election-crackdown | Amnesty International — amnesty.org | Freedom House — freedomhouse.org