A presidential commission investigating the deadly violence that marred Tanzania’s October 2025 election has responded to the question of the presence of foreign mercenaries during the 2025 security crackdown, saying it could not find evidence but is leaving the matter as an open question.
The Commission spoke during a session with journalists on April 28, 2026, at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre, to further explain the findings of its report to members of the public and to receive questions from journalists.
“During our investigation we were unable to establish that, but it is a possibility. In processing information, you ask yourself two things: how much truth is there in it, and is the matter possible?” said the member of the commission, retired Lieutenant General Paul Meela.
“So, we did not want to close it; we left it for a more in-depth investigation, which will also include a criminal investigation looking into it. But on our side, we were unable to establish it,” he added.
The question is one of the issues that has occupied the public since rumours circulated that Ugandan mercenaries had entered the country even before the election.
Some reports have highlighted the presence of non-Swahili-speaking security officials during the October–November security crackdown.
