Trending 
Tanzania’s authorities have banned planned rallies for next week, following a violent response by law enforcement to election protests.
Protests following the October 29 elections escalated into several days of riots, fueled by allegations that President Samia Suluhu Hassan manipulated the election results and was involved in the murders and abductions of her opponents.
She was announced as the victor with 98 per cent of the votes.
According to opposition and human rights organisations, over 1,000 individuals were killed by security forces during the days of turmoil, although the government has not yet provided a final death count.
Despite efforts to control the narrative, frustration within the East African nation has intensified, with some individuals vowing to take to the streets again on December 9.
In a statement issued in Swahili late Friday, police spokesperson David Misime noted the calls on social media but emphasised: “No identifiable person has thus far filed a formal notification for the proposed demonstrations.”
Referring to police regulations, the statement indicated that “in light of the unlawful methods that have emerged,” the planned rally “no longer fulfils the legal criteria for authorisation.
“Therefore, the Police Force, as of today, bans the planned demonstrations described as peaceful and indefinite,” it said.
The statement further claimed that the calls for the rally above were being organised by people using “telephone numbers from both within and outside Tanzania, as well as anonymous online accounts operated by individuals outside the country.”
This follows Meta’s recent decision to suspend the Instagram accounts of two Tanzanian activists after they shared images of the violent response to the election protests.
There has been increasing international condemnation, with the United States announcing it would be “thoroughly reviewing” its relationship with Tanzania following the events surrounding the election violence.
