Cynthia Ezegwu
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday announced the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the killings that occurred during the country’s October 29 election, which returned her to office with 98 percent of the vote.
Addressing parliament in her inaugural speech after re-election, Hassan said she was “deeply saddened” by the violence and offered condolences to families who lost relatives during the unrest that followed the disputed poll.
Allegations of electoral fraud and government repression had triggered days of mass protests, with opposition groups and human rights organisations claiming that hundreds were killed by security forces amid a nationwide internet blackout. Hundreds of young people were also arrested and charged with treason, an offence punishable by death.
Hassan said the government was taking the situation seriously, noting that the inquiry commission would thoroughly examine what transpired.
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“I realise that many youths who were arrested and charged with treason did not know what they were doing,” she said, directing police and security agencies to review the charges against young protesters who were merely “following the crowd”.
“As the mother of this nation, I direct the law enforcement agencies, and especially the office of the director of police, to look at the level of offences committed by our youths. For those who seem to have followed the crowd and did not intend to commit a crime, let them erase their mistakes,” she added.
The president’s remarks come amid mounting domestic and international scrutiny over the conduct of the election and the government’s handling of the subsequent unrest.