Tanzania still completely offline, curfew in the capital
For a day, people in Tanzania have not been able to access the internet. Apparently, there are protests nationwide, and there was a curfew in the capital.
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Even a day after the internet was largely blocked in Tanzania simultaneously with nationwide elections, the country is still offline. This is evident from data from Cloudflare, according to which internet traffic there is less than one percent of the previous week's value. According to media reports, protests broke out in various cities during the election and after the polling stations closed on Wednesday; in the metropolis of Dar es Salaam, according to the Federal Foreign Office, a curfew was imposed. People are advised to stay in a safe place and comply with it. The US Embassy has published a security alert and speaks of nationwide demonstrations and road closures.
Opposition excluded from the election
The internet shutdown began hours before the polling stations closed on Wednesday. Approximately 38 million eligible voters were called to presidential and parliamentary elections, and there had been massive accusations from human rights organizations beforehand. Also because the two most promising opposing candidates were excluded from the election, the re-election of President Samia Suluhu Hassan (65) for a second term was considered certain. Her ruling party, CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi), which has been in power uninterruptedly since the East African country's independence, is also likely to defend its oversized absolute majority in parliament.
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Politically, Tanzania is considered one of the more stable countries in the East African region, less affected by conflicts compared to neighboring countries, explains the news agency dpa. The economy has developed robustly in recent years. Nevertheless, there is a large gap between rich and poor. The president, who has been in office since 2021, promised political openness after taking office. However, according to human rights organizations, politically motivated arrests continue to occur in the country with around 70 million inhabitants. The largest opposition party in parliament to date was not allowed to participate in the elections, and its chairman is accused of high treason. There is no official reason for the internet blockade.
(mho)
