Samia Suluhu: Post-election unrest was a plot to overthrow my government
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
What you need to know:
- She described the events as a “manufactured” political scheme with deeper motives than initially perceived.
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has claimed the unrest that broke out on October 29, along with the violent incidents that followed, were not a spontaneous eruption of public anger but a carefully orchestrated operation aimed at toppling her government.
Addressing the Dar es Salaam Region Council of Elders on December 2 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC), President Hassan described the events as a “manufactured” political scheme.
The country is still dealing with the aftermath of the violence, which erupted shortly after the October 29 General Election.
Although authorities maintain that the polls were peaceful, the days that followed saw sporadic destruction, arrests and heightened tensions. Security agencies have since warned of attempts to mobilise young people for further disturbances ahead of December 9.
President Suluhu alleged that State intelligence points to a coordinated plot involving planners, financiers and ground-level actors.
“This was not an accident. Those behind it aimed to topple our State.”
She described the violence as a “broad project of evil,” allegedly backed by internal and external sponsors.
Participants, she claimed, ranged from those intentionally involved to others who were misled, enticed or paid.
She insisted the acts of vandalism, including attacks on government projects, police infrastructure and private businesses, bore no resemblance to lawful demonstrations protected under the Constitution.
“In a lawful demonstration people march peacefully with grievances, escorted by police, and disperse after delivering their message,” she said.
“What happened instead were organised riots for a specific purpose.”
President Hassan also questioned the timing of the unrest, saying the fact that it occurred on election day indicated deliberate planning.
“We swore to protect this country, its borders, its people and their property,” she said.
“So when some say we used excessive force, what lesser force was expected? Should we have simply watched as those plotting an overthrow succeeded?”
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