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**President Samia Suluhu Hassan alleges that the deadly post-election violence was a calculated operation by internal and external actors to overthrow her government, a claim that comes amid international condemnation of the state's brutal crackdown.**

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared that the violent unrest following the October 29 general election was not a series of spontaneous protests, but a deliberate and orchestrated plot to topple her administration. Addressing elders in Dar es Salaam, she asserted that state intelligence pointed to a coordinated scheme involving planners, financiers, and actors on the ground.
The declaration casts a new, more severe light on the political crisis gripping Kenya's southern neighbour. The violence, which erupted after President Suluhu was declared the winner with a contentious 97.66% of the vote, has drawn sharp criticism from international bodies over the use of lethal force by security agencies. The aftermath has left a trail of destruction, arrests, and a death toll that human rights groups claim is in the hundreds, if not thousands.
President Suluhu has staunchly defended her government's response to the protests, questioning what a "lesser force" would have been against a plot to overthrow the state. "Should we have just stood by and watched protesters overthrow our government instead of taking action?" she queried, dismissing criticism from neighbouring countries as hypocritical. She alleged that foreign interests, irritated by Tanzania's stability, helped fuel the unrest.
The election itself was marred by controversy even before polling day. Major opposition parties, including Chadema and the Alliance for Change and Transparency, were barred from participating, a move that foreign observers noted broke with Tanzania's recent history of multiparty elections. Several opposition leaders were arrested in the lead-up to the vote, actions that human rights organizations condemned as politically motivated.
The global reaction to the violence and the election's conduct has been severe, placing significant pressure on the Tanzanian government and potentially impacting its economy.
From a Kenyan perspective, the instability in a key East African Community partner is cause for significant concern. The unrest disrupts trade corridors, impacts investor confidence across the region, and raises questions about democratic stability. President Suluhu's pointed remarks about unnamed "neighbours" who have also used force against protesters have not gone unnoticed in Nairobi.
While President Suluhu's government maintains the election was transparent and peaceful, the opposition rejects the results as fabricated. With fresh protests called for and international bodies demanding impartial investigations, the path forward for Tanzania remains fraught with tension. The President's framing of the crisis as an attempted coup signals a hardening stance, suggesting the political standoff is far from over.
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