Crackdown on Opposition Leaders Sends Shock Waves Across Tanzania

Tanzania, 9 November 2025 - Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), has confirmed that its Deputy Secretary General for Mainland, Amani Golugwa, was arrested on Saturday morning in Arusha.

In a statement released by the party, CHADEMA said Golugwa’s arrest makes him the third top leader to be detained by state authorities in recent weeks after Party Chairperson Tundu Lissu and Vice Chairperson John Heche.

The party said that only three of its six senior leaders now remain free.

According to CHADEMA, the arrests are part of a wider crackdown following protests that erupted after the 29 October 2025 elections.

The demonstrations were reportedly met with force by police, leaving several people injured and more than 200 opposition supporters charged with treason.

Police told Reuters that authorities are also looking for nine other opposition figures accused of planning or funding the protests. They said the protests turned violent in some areas, leading to damage of properties.

However, CHADEMA dismissed the accusations as politically motivated, saying the government is using the protests as an excuse to silence dissent. The party claims that some of its members are being pressured to confess to organizing demonstrations.

“We believe these arrests are meant to paralyze our leadership and weaken our struggle for democracy,” the statement said.

“We stand with the people of Tanzania in defending justice and the rule of law.”

Observers say the arrests mark a worrying escalation in Tanzania’s political tensions. President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has been facing growing criticism from opposition groups and rights activists who accuse it of shrinking civic space and intimidating critics.

Despite the pressure, CHADEMA vowed to continue its push for democratic reforms.

“The voice of the people is the voice of God,” the party said, calling for unity among supporters and urging Tanzanians not to lose hope.