How Tanzania police crushed election protests with lethal force

Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and gunshot injuries.

In the footage our team has verified the protests appear to have been dominated by groups of young men, drawing strong parallels with a global Gen-Z youth movement frustrated at economic decline and entrenched leadership in countries across Africa.

The first demonstrations we identified took place early on election day in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city and economic hub. They spread to other urban areas across the country, including the cities of Mwanza and Arusha.

The internet blackout makes it difficult to establish a clear sequence of events, but what is clear from videos and images posted online is that protesters were confronted by heavily armed police units blocking their progress and firing tear gas to disperse crowds. In many of the videos, gunfire can clearly be heard as people scatter in the ensuing chaos.

A key flashpoint was along the Morogoro Road, a main highway through Dar es Salaam. In two separate highly graphic videos, two bodies can be seen lying on the side road next to St Andrew's Anglican Church. One lies unresponsive, with heavy wounds visible on their head, surrounded by a pool of blood.

We identified more bodies lying nearby around the same stretch of road: one next to a bus stop and two more on the ground surrounded by blood. One body is later seen wrapped in a white shroud.

Further casualties are also visible along this stretch of highway and in the neighbouring side streets.

We have also documented casualties from protests more than 700 miles (1125km) away in Tanzania's second-largest city, Mwanza, that took place on election day.

Within the grounds of the city's Sekou Toure Hospital, several videos show a pile of 10 bodies, all of whom appear to be young men. Some of them have visible open wounds. Other footage from within the hospital shows bodies laid out in what appears to be a hospital morgue.

We have verified multiple videos of police shooting towards groups of protesters.

In three videos posted online, police vehicles are seen chasing dozens of people as the attempt to flee along Nelson Mandela Road in Dar es Salaam. Several rounds of gunfire can be heard as the police advance.

In Arusha, footage shows a police vehicle passing a crowd of chanting youths. Gunshots ring out and people are seen scattering and running for safety. Another video taken shows an injured man with those around him saying he's been shot.

In the northern Kijitonyama area of Dar es Salaam, two men in uniform were filmed taking aim and firing along a main road in the direction of protests. We have confirmed the location next to a local school. The green uniforms and flat-topped peak caps worn by the two men closely match those worn by the Tanzanian police.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for an investigation into the killings and other violations committed during Tanzania's elections, and for the unconditional release of all those arrested before the vote took place and others who have since been detained.

The Tanzanian government and police have been contacted for comment.