Tanzania inquiry reports 518 deaths following disputed 2024 election

Government commission attributes deaths to 'unnatural causes' but does not identify those responsible.

A government-appointed commission of inquiry in Tanzania reported that 518 people died from "unnatural causes" following widespread protests after the country's general elections on 29 October 2024.¹² Commission chairman Mohamed Chande Othman presented the findings to President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday but did not determine who was responsible for the deaths and recommended further investigations.¹²

The report marks the first official acknowledgment by Tanzanian authorities of the death toll from the unrest.² Most of those who died—490—were male, Othman said.¹ He added that the figure could be an undercount due to difficulties identifying victims.²

President Hassan, who was declared the winner with 98 percent of the vote, had described the election as fair and transparent.¹ Opposition parties described the result as a "mockery" of democracy.¹ The United Nations human rights office estimated last year that hundreds were killed in violence driven by the exclusion of leading opposition candidates from presidential and parliamentary elections.² The main opposition party has said thousands died.²

The commission attributed the violence to economic, political and social issues, including demands for political reforms, unemployment and "lack of patriotism".¹ It said politicians and activists used these issues to persuade citizens to participate in protests, which the commission determined were neither peaceful nor lawful.¹ Othman said the commission had "indisputable evidence" the violence was planned and funded by "trained people" but did not name them.²

Opposition parties and human rights groups have accused security forces of unleashing a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.¹ Tanzanian authorities have previously declined to comment on casualty figures and have denied allegations by human rights groups that security services used excessive force.² President Hassan blamed foreigners for the violence, saying it was part of a plot to overthrow her.¹

The commission's attribution of blame to protesters drew criticism from government opponents, who accused it of bias.² Othman recommended that a commission of criminal investigation be formed to probe specific incidents.²