Tanzania opposition laments its ‘naivety’ over president as repression intensifies

Recent killings and arrests of government critics suggest end of reformist approach under Samia Suluhu Hassan, say political rivals

When Samia Suluhu Hassan took office as Tanzania’s president in 2021, many in the east African country hailed what they hoped was a new dawn after the authoritarian and repressive rule of her predecessor John Magufuli.

The signs were positive in her first few years in office: Hassan ended bans on newspapers and political rallies, and legislation that kept pregnant girls and young mothers out of school, all policies that Magufuli had endorsed.