Protests have continued for the fourth straight day in Tanzania and Cameroon in continuing political unrest sweeping across Africa..
In Tanzania, the streets of Dar es Salaam burned for a second consecutive night on Thursday, as thousands defied curfews and internet blackouts to protest what opposition groups call a “sham election.” At least two people — a civilian and a police officer — have been confirmed dead, according to Amnesty International.
The unrest erupted after a bitterly contested poll widely viewed as neither free nor fair. The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, in power since independence in 1961, maintained its dominance of the political space — but under growing allegations of repression and manipulation.
Opposition leaders, including Tundu Lissu and Luhaga Mpina, were either imprisoned or barred from contesting. As results trickled in, protests spread through Dodoma, Mwanza, and Dar es Salaam, where petrol stations, buses, and police outposts were set ablaze. The government swiftly responded — cutting internet access, ordering civil servants to work from home, and deploying the military.
By Thursday morning, major roads were blocked by checkpoints, ferry routes to Zanzibar suspended, and schools closed indefinitely. Yet, citizens continued to mobilise via encrypted apps, vowing to resist what they describe as “a coronation, not an election.”
In a statement, Amnesty International demanded an independent investigation into “the excessive use of force by Tanzanian security personnel against peaceful demonstrators.”
Across Central Africa, the political temperature is equally explosive. In Cameroon, violent protests have gripped Douala and Yaoundé following the declaration of victory for President Paul Biya, the 92-year-old leader who has ruled since 1982 — making him the world’s oldest head of state.
At least 23 people have been killed and more than 200 arrested, according to civil rights group Stand Up for Cameroon, as security forces opened fire on demonstrators rejecting Biya’s re-election. Opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claims he won “by a large majority,” has vowed to “resist until final victory.”
The government blames Tchiroma for inciting unrest after he declared himself winner a day before official results were released. Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji accused him of “plotting to disrupt public order,” alleging that protesters were “under the influence of drugs” — a claim opposition groups dismiss as propaganda.
Videos shared online show chaotic scenes of soldiers beating civilians and loading lifeless bodies onto military trucks. While the footage has not been independently verified, eyewitnesses describe “a city under siege.”
From Dar es Salaam to Douala, Africa is experiencing a dangerous convergence of political fatigue, economic frustration, and shrinking democratic space. Analysts warn that both Tanzania and Cameroon could be entering prolonged cycles of instability if their leaders continue to silence opposition voices instead of pursuing reconciliation, with potential consequences for neighbouring nations..
Both governments have been accused by rights groups of weaponising state institutions — the police, judiciary, and media — to entrench themselves in power.
For Tanzania, this crisis is a major reversal of optimism that followed President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s early promises of change and in Cameroon, it deepens the crisis of legitimacy that has defined Biya’s four-decade rule.
There’s been no statement from the African Union or the United Nations as both countries totter towards the edge.
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