Joseph Isangura
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has cautioned that the unrest that erupted on October 29 and 30, 2025, was not a spontaneous occurrence but a deliberately engineered attempt to destabilise the nation.
Speaking on December 2, 2025, at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) during a meeting with elders from Dar es Salaam, she stated firmly:
“What took place was a manufactured event, deliberately planned by individuals determined to undermine our government.”
Youth Manipulated Through Foreign Incitement
The President revealed that many of the young people involved had been influenced using distorted references to events in Madagascar.
However, when interrogated, most were unaware of what had truly occurred there.
She condemned this manipulation, describing it as both immoral and dangerous to national stability.
According to President Samia, the violence witnessed was completely foreign to Tanzania’s values:
“The unrest is neither the custom nor the culture of our nation or our people. Every individual who suffered or lost their life is a fellow Tanzanian, entitled to the right to live freely and peacefully.”
She expressed sorrow that a small group of instigators pushed others into violence in pursuit of “selfish political ambitions, entirely at odds with the democratic spirit of our country.”
A Growing Threat to Tanzania’s Reputation for Peace
President Samia warned that Tanzania’s long-standing identity as a peaceful and united nation is being threatened by people who resent this reputation.
She recalled speaking in the same hall years earlier, cautioning that certain individuals had arrived intending to disrupt the nation:
“They destroyed where they came from, and now they wish to destabilise us — it angers them deeply.”
Elders Condemn the Violence and Destruction
Salum Matimbwa, Chairman of the Dar es Salaam Regional Council of Elders, delivered a strong message on behalf of the elders.
He noted that campaigns across all political parties proceeded smoothly and the election itself was peaceful — “until the moment unrest and violence erupted.”
Matimbwa described the shock and pain caused by the destruction of both public and private property, including essential infrastructure.
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He highlighted that movement within the city was severely disrupted:
“Travelling from Mbagala to the city centre became a major challenge, a matter that has deeply distressed us.”
Government: “The Force Used Was Proportionate”
Addressing concerns about the state’s response to the violence, President Samia defended the actions of security organs.
She said the force applied on October 29 matched the seriousness of the incident:
“Government buildings were set on fire, public projects destroyed, fuel stations, private businesses, government vehicles and several police stations burned. Should this be called a protest or violence?”
She added that legally recognised protests are peaceful and orderly — not destructive, not violent, and not aimed at seizing weapons or overthrowing authority.
She continued:
“Those accusing us of excessive force must ask themselves: what alternative could have stopped individuals preparing to stage a coup? Tanzania did not descend into lawlessness, and it will not.”
The October 2025 unrest was met with retaliatory action from security organs, resulting in an undisclosed number of fatalities. Investigations continue, and the government maintains that it acted within its constitutional mandate to preserve peace and order.
