young people were paid by external forces to “burn our country- Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan claims, without evidence, that young people in the country were paid by external forces to “burn our country”, despite viral videos showing security forces indiscriminately opening fire on unarmed protestors in attempts to crush widespread protests.

President Hassan was inaugurating a newly established Commission of inquiry led by retired government officials to investigate the deadly violence during and after October 29 election day.

The Commission has been rejected by the main opposition party CHADEMA terming it as “a scheme to hide the truth, erase evidence, and further harm the victims,” a statement reads in part.

It adds: Our message is clear and unwavering: “There can be no peace without justice. There can be no legitimacy without the consent of the people. A perpetrator cannot sit in judgment of their own crimes”.

“Our position is based on the fact that the appointing authority, Ms. Samia Suluhu Hassan, lacks political, legal, and moral legitimacy. She imposed herself as President through a process that was not free, not fair, not transparent, and fell far below democratic standards.”