Dar es Salaam – Tanzanian authorities continue with their sustained crackdown on opposition figures, activists, and social media users ahead of anticipated nationwide protests planned for December 9, 2025, the country’s 64th Independence Day.
The measures, which include dozens of arrests and a series of official warnings, are aimed at preventing a repeat of the widespread and destructive unrest that occurred on October 29, 2025.
In a detailed public notice issued on December 3, 2025, the police force declared that no demonstrations would be permitted on December 9, warning that anyone attempting to participate would be arrested. The statement went further, issuing a series of directives to the public.
It called on citizens to avoid online groups that “incite violence,” urging them to report suspicious individuals to the authorities. This message has been amplified through mass SMS alerts sent to citizens by both the police and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).
In a move indicating the seriousness of the warning, the police advised businesses in the harbour and port areas of Dar es Salaam to remain closed, citing intelligence that the demonstrators are planning, among other things, to ensure the port of Dar es Salaam does not operate by blocking all roads leading into and out of the port.
There is also a noticeable presence of armed police and military men in various areas of Dar es Salaam, a situation which the Dar es Salaam regional Commissioner has addressed, explaining residents should not be alarmed but offer cooperation whenever needed.
The statement explicitly framed the planned protests as a continuation of the October 29 events, which it described not as legitimate demonstrations but as “violence and destruction,” thereby arguing that the constitutional right to protest did not apply.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has personally reinforced this hardline stance. In a speech to elders in Dar es Salaam on December 2, 2025, she addressed the planned December 9 protests directly, stating that she had been informed of the plans and issued a stern warning.
“I heard one of the organisers from abroad say, ‘let’s postpone the 9th [of December], let’s wait for Christmas, because right now they [the authorities] are prepared,’” the Head of State said. “I want to tell them, whenever they come, we are prepared.”
The wave of arrests, which began in mid-November, has drawn criticism from human rights organisations. Among those detained are Professor Rasel Mpuya Madaha, a university lecturer and head of an NGO, who was arrested in Morogoro and accused of sedition via a WhatsApp group. He was later released on bail.
In Rufiji, Winfrida Charles Malembeka was arrested on November 28, 2025, accused of incitement. Other high-profile detentions include CHADEMA’s Kyela district chairperson, Victoria Swebe, and social media critic Clemence Mwandambo.
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Controversy has also surrounded the methods of arrest, with several detentions being described by witnesses as abductions carried out by armed, plainclothes individuals.
Police later confirmed they were holding the individuals, such as in the case of Edwin Richard Mboro and Victor Bonaventure Ndibalema in Arusha, who were accused of “leading a chat group to spread hatred.”
In a further pre-emptive measure, local authorities attempted to restrict the movement of demonstrators. The police chief in Chunya district controversially ordered petrol stations to limit sales to motorcycle and rickshaw drivers to just two litres.
The national police headquarters later disowned the directive, stating the district chief had no authority to issue such an order. However, this followed an earlier announcement in Dar es Salaam to issue special identification cards to motorcycle taxi drivers to control fuel sales.
The planned “D9” protests are seen by organisers as a continuation of the “MO29” demonstrations on October 29, which were fuelled by youth anger over the exclusion of opposition candidates from the general election and broader economic grievances.
Activists, some of whom are based in the diaspora, have been using social media to organise and call for accountability for alleged human rights abuses. Some, like prominent activist Mange Kimambi, have reported having their social media accounts deactivated, which they claim is an attempt to silence them.
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While President Samia has established a commission to investigate the October unrest, the opposition has dismissed it, demanding an independent international inquiry. The government has refused to release a death toll from the October 29 events, stating that to do so would be to “celebrate the deaths.”
