SADC calls for calm as Tanzania faces deadly post-election violence
The regional body reaffirmed its readiness to support Tanzania through appropriate mechanisms aimed at facilitating a peaceful resolution.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for calm in Tanzania following violent unrest after the country’s general elections on October 29, 2025.
This is after reports from the main opposition party, Chadema, indicated that at least 700 people have been killed in just three days of protests, with many more injured and significant damage inflicted on property and public infrastructure.
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In a statement, Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of Malawi and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, expressed deep concern over the escalating crisis and called on all stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint.
The regional body reaffirmed its readiness to support Tanzania through appropriate mechanisms aimed at facilitating a peaceful resolution.
“We appeal for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urge all parties to prioritise the well-being and livelihoods of the people of the United Republic of Tanzania,” the statement read.
President Mutharika emphasised the importance of dialogue as the preferred avenue for addressing post-election grievances.
Constructive engagement, he noted, is essential to restoring stability, social cohesion, and good governance, principles that underpin sustainable development across the region.
"Our collective aspiration remains the restoration of harmony and stability in the United Republic of Tanzania, in line with our shared vision of good governance, social cohesion, and sustainable development across the region."
SADC also called on Tanzanian security services to act with restraint while maintaining law and order, warning that excessive force could exacerbate the situation. Both the government and citizens were urged to seek peaceful solutions to prevent further loss of life and destruction.
Meanwhile, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of the October 29 election, securing 98 per cent of the vote, the country’s electoral commission announced on Saturday.
President Samia, who assumed the presidency in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, will now serve a full five-year term.
Her victory follows a contested election in which the two main opposition candidates, Chadema’s Tundu Lissu and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from running, a move that sparked widespread public outrage.
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