CNN Uncovers Mass Grave Signs in Tanzania Following Post-Election Unrests

An exclusive investigation by CNN has exposed the brutal scale of violence following the recent election day in Tanzania. The true extent of the bloodshed is only now starting to emerge.

As Larry Madowo uncovered, security forces cracked down hard on protesters. These citizens were angered by the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan. They claimed the election was unfair.

The streets of Tanzania became a hunting ground during the violence.

Witnesses Too Terrified to Speak

The investigation, conducted three weeks after the events, analysed dozens of videos. CNN, working alongside open-source investigator Benjamin Strick, examined the events across the country.

Forensic analysis of video confirmed fatalities. In the city of Arusha, two people died near a single intersection. Armed police approached a group of protesters. Then shots rang out.

A carrying a stick and a rock, was hit by a bullet in the back. She fell instantly. She was three months pregnant. This woman was a breadwinner for her husband and two young children.

Audio forensic analysis confirmed the gunshots that killed both victims came from the direction of the police position. These lives lost are just a small fraction of the bloodshed.

Overwhelmed Morgues and Mass Graves

The crackdown spanned late October and early November. Grim scenes were documented in Mwanza, Tanzania's second-largest city. Bodies piled up outside the regional hospital.

One doctor, who spoke to CNN while remaining anonymous, reported the morgue was full. He detailed the overwhelming volume of victims killed during the police action.

The doctor claimed there were:

“Four trips with piles of dead bodies taken to the mortuary until it was full just for others to be piled outside.”

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Further reports suggest police refused doctors access to the wounded. They allegedly took injured people directly to the mortuary "for them to die there".

In Dar es Salaam, the Mwananyamala hospital morgue was also overwhelmed. One woman told CNN she recognised her missing brother among dozens of bodies spread across the floor.

Concealing the Dead

Police are now accused of dumping bodies in mass graves. This was allegedly done to conceal the true number of fatalities.

According to the CNN report, emerging video evidence showed a wide area of freshly turned soil. This matched testimony that young men were ordered to dig the site for mass burials.

While CNN could not independently verify the existence of mass graves, satellite imagery supported the allegation. Imagery of the Cemetery before and after the protests showed disturbance in the soil.

The main opposition party claims that at least 2,000 people were killed during the weeklong protests.

Government Denies Figures

The Tanzanian police and government didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment. They reportedly refused to confirm a death toll. They dismissed the opposition’s numbers as “hugely exaggerated”.

President Hassan has launched a commission of inquiry into the unrest. However, she drew new outrage by suggesting protesters were paid to take to the streets.