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Tanzania Church Mourns Protest Dead, Denounces Election Crackdown

Church leaders press for accountability after authorities withhold a death toll.

Overview

  • Hundreds attended a Mass at St. Joseph Church in Dar es Salaam, where Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi said the nation had lost its dignity and called the killings a disgrace before God, noting some victims were shot inside their homes.
  • A diocesan Mass in Mbeya led by Archbishop Gervas Nyaisonga focused on prayer for the dead, the injured, and the missing, and urged humility from those in authority.
  • Fr. Valerio Mwandanji in Mbeya told Vatican News that certainly more than a hundred people had died locally and that he found dozens of wounded youths in hospitals after police fired live rounds to disperse crowds.
  • Officials have not provided a casualty count after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with 98 percent of the vote, and an internet blackout and lockdown hindered verification during the unrest.
  • Hundreds have been arrested, with some facing treason charges that carry the death penalty, as African Union observers reported ballot-stuffing and limited transparency in the vote.