President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania justified the deadly police crackdown during October election protests, insisting that protesters had “planned to overthrow the government.”
She stated, “So when we’re told that we used too much force in that event, what was the smallest force? Were we supposed to wait until the protesters – who had planned to overthrow the government – had succeeded?”
Describing the protests as violent and manufactured, she defended the proportionality of the government’s response. Mrs Hassan also criticized the European Union for suspending aid to Tanzania, saying, “They still think they are our masters, they are our colonisers.”
Her remarks come amid local and international outcry over the elections, which saw an internet shutdown, opposition disqualification, and reports of mass casualties, with the CHADEMA opposition party claiming about 700 deaths and refusing to recognise her presidency.
International bodies, including the UN, AU, EU, SADC, and several foreign missions, have condemned the election-related violence and fatalities.