Tanzania remains gripped by the aftermath of its worst post-election violence in decades, a crisis that has shaken its long-standing reputation as a beacon of peace and stability in Africa.
It has also earned the country rare rebukes from regional and continental organisations.
The death toll is not clear but families continue to search for or bury relatives killed following the recent disputed poll, that President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with 98% of the vote.
Samia, the soft-spoken leader whose calm and gentle demeanour, initially inspired optimism when she assumed power in 2021 after the sudden death in office of her authoritarian predecessor, John Magufuli. But that has now changed.
Professor Peter Kagwanja, a Kenyan policy analyst, remarked, Samia has pushed Tanzania to its thick winter of protests, instability and uncertainty. The protests, organised by young people, drew clear parallels with global Gen Z-led mobilisations against entrenched leadership.
Analysts noted the unrest was not a sudden occurrence, but rather a culmination of a tense political climate, marked by stalled reforms, simmering youth anger, power tussles within the ruling party, and sustained persecution of opposition leaders.
Veteran Tanzanian journalist Jenerali Ulimwengu highlighted how the recent election became a boiling point for longstanding societal grievances, with many observers accusing the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party of ignoring public calls for change.
As Samia begins her second term, the international community's scrutiny could threaten her legitimate authority to govern a nation that once prided itself on peaceful political discourse.
Amidst a context of fear, tension, and widespread discontent, Samia's next moves will be critical in determining not just the immediate future of Tanzania, but its long-standing legacy on the African continent.
