Tanzania electoral violence: government commission reports 518 deaths, opposition alleges cover-up
via SeneNews6 min read
A government-appointed commission in Tanzania announced that 518 people died during electoral violence in October and November, a figure significantly lower than the over 2,000 deaths reported by the opposition. The commission's president, Mohamed Chande Othman, stated that 490 males and 28 females were among the deceased, including 16 police officers and 20 children aged 5 to 17. The report also cited 2,390 injured, including 120 police. The main opposition party, Chadema, criticized the commission as neither independent nor impartial, alleging it was composed of current or past government members or the ruling party. Chadema's vice-president, John Heche, previously described the crackdown as "massacres" with over 2,000 killed and 5,000 injured in one week. Western diplomats, speaking anonymously, estimated 1,000 to 2,000 deaths. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who won nearly 98% of the vote in an election international observers deemed fraudulent, praised the report and dismissed previous "distortions" and "exaggerated" statistics. She attributed the violence to planned, coordinated, financed, and executed actions by trained individuals, without mentioning government responsibility. Chadema official John Kitoka called the report a "cover-up operation" designed to "whitewash the regime's crimes." The commission acknowledged receiving information about missing persons but stated that allegations of mass graves could not be substantiated. The Centre for Information Resilience,
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
The Dakar High Court, civil division, examined the case between Mame Mbaye Niang and Ousmane Sonko, President of the National Assembly, on July 22, 2026. The case was once again adjourned without progress on the merits. Ousmane Sonko's lawyers requested additional time to respond to the conclusions filed by Mame Mbaye Niang's legal team. The judge granted this request and scheduled the next hearing for August 26, 2026, for the same reasons. Mame Mbaye Niang accuses Ousmane Sonko of fraudulently transferring ownership of his house in Cité Keur Gorgui to family members to avoid paying a debt of 200 million CFA francs. Niang initiated proceedings to annul this property transfer, aiming to recover the disputed asset. The case, now postponed until late August, remains pending the exchange of conclusions between the two parties.
Must ReadTwo Russian nationals, Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin, have been sentenced to 8 and 11 years in prison respectively in Angola on charges including espionage and terrorism. Their arrests followed social unrest in July 2025, which included three days of riots between July 28 and 30, 2025, sparked by a taxi strike against rising fuel prices. These events resulted in 22 deaths, according to the Angolan Ministry of Interior. The prosecution accused the defendants of planning activities to destabilize Angola by "preparing a coup d'état" and seeking to "capture national economic assets." They were also alleged to have intended to provide financial support to the opposition party Unita for the 2027 general elections. The two Russians denied any links to terrorist organizations, stating their activities in Angola were cultural and commercial. An investigation by All Eyes on Wagner and RFI after their August 2025 arrest suggested Angolan authorities believed them to be members of Africa Politology, described as a "nebulous Russian network" involved in influence operations and political consulting. In the same case, Carlos Tomé, a sports journalist for Angolan public television, received a two-year suspended sentence, while Francisco de Oliveira, secretary general of the youth branch of the main opposition party Unita, was acquitted. The Russian embassy has not yet responded to AFP's inquiries.
Must ReadTunisia is experiencing widespread electricity outages as a severe heatwave, with temperatures reaching 49°C in Kairouan and 47°C in Tunis, has led to a record demand for electricity. The Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company Steg has implemented load shedding to prevent a complete blackout, a measure that has become common for Tunisians. Steg's CEO, Faycel Trifa, attributes the surge in demand to the excessive use of air conditioners, with national consumption potentially reaching a historic high of 6,000 megawatts. This situation has fueled public anger and concern, affecting homes and businesses across the country, with some outages lasting for several hours. President Kais Saïed has described the situation as "abnormal" and called for accountability for those responsible for the failures. Economist Héla Tlili from Tunis El Manar University points to an aging network, insufficient infrastructure, and a heavy reliance on natural gas for electricity production, while gas production has declined. She emphasizes the need to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, and to invest in energy storage solutions. The business organization Conect has expressed concerns about the economic impact, citing the lack of precise information on power cuts, which hinders businesses from preparing. Many Tunisians are struggling to cope, with some resorting to sleeping on floors to find relief from the heat. There are also growing concerns for prisoners