Security forces and police clash following disputed election in Tanzania; UN says 10 dead

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Hundreds of demonstrators faced off with police in Tanzania's commercial capital Friday to demand the national electoral body stop announcing election results that have sparked protests, leading to the deployment of the military and an internet shutdown. The U.N said it had received credible reports that 10 people had died in the protests.

State television was broadcasting the mainland results of Wednesday's vote in which the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party that has governed Tanzania since independence in 1961 was seeking to extend its time in power.

Presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from running, and incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan faced 16 other candidates from smaller parties who hardly campaigned.

The political maneuvering by Tanzanian authorities is unprecedented even in a country where single-party rule has been the norm since the advent of multi-party politics in 1992. Government critics point out that previous leaders tolerated opposition while maintaining a firm grip on power, whereas Hassan is accused of leading with an authoritarian style that rejects calls for change that are upending politics elsewhere in the region.

The CCM retained the presidential seat in the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, which remained calm Friday with a heavy military presence. The electoral commission said incumbent President Hussein Mwinyi won 78.8% of the votes there.

The opposition said there was “massive fraud” in Zanzibar's results and announced it would reveal its next steps.

Hundreds of protesters faced off with police in the nation's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, on the third day of protests Friday.

A spokesman for the U.N. human rights office, Seif Magango, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva by video from Nairobi that credible reports of 10 deaths had been reported in the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam, alongside Shinyanga and Morogoro towns.

“We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters, and to make every effort to deescalate tensions. Protesters should demonstrate peacefully," he said.

Magango called for the reinstatement of the internet saying "curtailment of communication will only further undermine public trust in the electoral process.”

Chaos erupted Wednesday afternoon as young people took to the streets to protest the harassment of opposition leaders and their limited election choices. Several vehicles, a gas station, and police stations were set ablaze by protesters.

The government has not commented on the extent of the damage or any casualties. Amnesty International reported that two people were killed during Wednesday’s protests.

The protests have spread across the country, and the government has postponed the reopening of colleges and universities, which had been set for next Monday.

The army chief, Gen. Jacob John Mkunda, condemned the violence and said Thursday the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

Tanzanians in the diaspora have been hosting daily X Spaces to analyze the protests and discuss ways of financially supporting the demonstrators.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan casts her vote during the general elections at Chamwino polling station in Dodoma, Tanzania, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo)

People protest in the streets of Arusha, Tanzania, on election day Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/str)

Police patrol the streets on election day in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo)

People protest in the streets of Arusha, Tanzania, on election day Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/str)

People protest in the streets of Arusha, Tanzania, on election day Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/str)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV expressed hope that the U.S.-Israel war on Iran could be finished before Easter in remarks to reporters as he left the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome on Tuesday.

“I’m told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war,’’ the U.S.-born pope said. “I hope that he’s looking for an off-ramp.’’

“Hopefully he’s looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing, which would be a significant contribution to removing the hatred that’s being created, that’s increasing constantly in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

Leo called on all world leaders to return to dialogue and look for “ways to reduce the amount of violence,’’ so that “peace, especially at Easter, might reign in our hearts.’’

Leo's remarks came during Holy Week, the most sacred period of the year for Christians.

“It should be the holiest time of the year. It is a time of peace, a time of reflection. But as we all know, again, in the world, in many places we are seeing so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children,’’ Leo said. “We constantly make the call for peace, but unfortunately, many people want to promote hatred, violence, war.’’

On Palm Sunday, the pontiff said God doesn’t listen to the prayers of those who make war or cite God to justify their violence, as he prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials, especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.

Russia’s Orthodox Church, too, has justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war” against a Western world it considers has fallen into evil.

As Holy Week continues, Leo will carry out the Holy Thursday foot-washing tradition in the basilica of St. John Lateran, where popes have performed it for decades. On Friday, Leo is due to preside over the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum commemorating Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and will carry the cross himself. Saturday brings the late night Easter Vigil, during which Leo will baptize new Catholics, followed a few hours later by Easter Sunday when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus.

Leo will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square and then deliver his Easter blessing from the loggia of the basilica.

Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists as he leaves his residence in Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, to return to the Vatican, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)