Tanzania’s image for stability has been “stained” by the unrest that hit the East African nation during last month’s heavily disputed elections, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has acknowledged.
Speaking as she swore in her new cabinet, Samia warned that the violence could “set the country back”, eroding its global credibility and making it harder to secure loans from international creditors.
The president has announced an investigation into the unrest, and urged prosecutors to consider reducing or dropping charges for detained individuals who were not directly involved in the protests.
Hundreds may have died as security forces crushed the protests, which were sparked by the disputed October 29 election, in which Samia was declared the winner with 98% of the vote.
Opposition leaders were barred from contesting, and have denounced the election as a “mockery of democracy”.
Malawian former president Lazarus Chakwera is leading reconciliation efforts between the two sides, with a four-day mission to Tanzania.
