The Tanzania Police Force has issued a second warning to the public regarding a group that first appeared on social media in early February under the name Tanzania Freedom Fighters and later changed to Tanganyika Freedom Fighters (TFF) as more individuals began identifying with it, claiming to be a rebel group.
The Mwanza police were the first to issue a statement calming public fears. In a public notice dated February 4, 2026, the Mwanza Regional Police Command acknowledged the circulating video and sought to reassure residents that the security situation in the lakeside city remained “calm and stable.”
On February 22, 2026, the Tanzanian police released a detailed assessment of the situation, stressing that the reported offenses were limited to cyber-crime and rejecting claims by the group that it was responsible for various criminal acts.
READ: Mwanza Police Assure Residents of Security Amid ‘Rebel Group’ Fears
“On social media, some individuals have emerged who are promoting behavior that encourages citizens to engage in criminal activities. Some people have been influenced and have involved themselves in cybercrime; some have already been arrested, while others are still being sought,” the police statement reads.
“Among those who are encouraging such crimes are individuals who identify themselves by the name TFF and who issue various statements claiming that they are conducting training in the bush and that they have already carried out several criminal incidents. The Police Force denies the information they are spreading that their group has committed these crimes; it is not true,” the statement continues.
In the first video announcing TFF, one of the masked men declared the formation of a rebel group to “defend the citizens of Tanzania.” He cited the violent events of October 29, 2025, as the main motivation. The man has since removed his mask and now actively engages in discussions on Instagram and TikTok.
In the same video, he accused the police of protecting the ruling CCM party, alleging that “police have been abducting people, raping women, sodomizing people and killing citizens without any valid reason.” The police have denied any involvement in those events.
READ: Reports of Its Youth Joining Terrorist Groups Concern Tanzania
In its statement on Sunday, the police emphasized that it is closely monitoring the individuals involved and the messages they are spreading, noting that this surveillance is ongoing around the clock.
“Additionally, the Police Force continues to urge citizens to ignore those individuals and others like them, together with their information and messages, because they are not within the country’s borders,” the police statement reads.
On social media, the group tried to take credit for the killing of CCM chairperson for Itumbi in Chunya Mbeya, Elia Sambala, the incident which happened on February 11. However, Mbeya police explained that the incident was related to a conflict in mining area in Mbeya.
In the statement on Sunday, Police asked the citizens to cautious on the effort to sow division in the country. “What these people are encouraging, they themselves will not take part in, and they will neither have the ability nor the opportunity to allow them to participate,” the statement continued.
“Citizens should understand that the objective of those people is to cause division among us and to create hatred so that we are provoked into engaging in criminal acts and violent behavior,” the police emphasized.
Although Tanzania has not experienced direct insurgency activities in the past nine years, in 2024 the Tanzanian army warned of the recruitment of youth aged between 15 and 35 to join armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and Somalia.
Following the October 29 election, discussions on social media indicate an increased vulnerability, with deeper divisions emerging after the events, particularly the killing of civilians. The Tanzanian government has pledged to establish a reconciliation commission to help reunify the country after the submission of a report by the commission of inquiry tasked with investigating the October 29 incidents.
