President Samia Suluhu Hassan has set up a new commission to establish who was behind the deadly violence that rocked Tanzania during and after the October 2025 general election, giving the team five months to uncover the organisers, participants and financiers of the unrest.
The move comes after an earlier government-appointed enquiry confirmed that at least 518 people lost their lives during and after the election but stopped short of identifying those responsible.
The new investigation is expected to go further by examining how the violence was organised, who took part and who may have provided money to support the events.
"This (new) commission will conduct a deeper investigation to determine who instigated the violence, who participated in it and who financed the events that occurred in our country," Hassan said during a brief function at Dar es Salaam State House on Friday.
The president acknowledged that the commission had been given a major task but said it would initially have five months to complete the investigation and hand over its report.
"I recognise the magnitude of this task but the commission has initially been given five months to complete its work and submit its report.
"If more time is required, we will consider extending the deadline," she said.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of serious claims over the number of people killed during the election unrest.
Opposition groups and religious organisations have said thousands of people were killed by security forces, while Western diplomats have estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 people may have died.
Rights groups and Western diplomats have also accused Hassan's government of massacring hundreds of people during the unrest. They have further accused authorities of abducting and murdering critics in the period leading up to the election.
Hassan was declared the winner of the 2025 presidential election with 98 percent of the vote.
The first enquiry, whose report was submitted in April, recorded a much lower death toll of at least 518 people. However, it did not determine who was responsible for the violence.
Instead, the enquiry called for a criminal investigation aimed at finding those who played the main role in the unrest and determining what action should follow.
Its report recommended a criminal investigation to "identify the main perpetrators" and "recommend accountability steps".
Hassan has now moved to establish the commission that will take up that task, with the six-member team expected to examine the violence in greater detail.
The president said the commission would also have a regional element, with judges from Uganda and Namibia joining the team in an effort to bring a wider view to the investigation.
"We decided to involve our colleagues so that we can obtain a broader perspective... We therefore invited one judge from the East African region and another from the Southern African Development Community," the president said.
The inclusion of the two judges is intended to strengthen the credibility and independence of the process as the commission works to establish what happened during the election period.
Hassan said the team should be allowed to carry out its duties without interference and urged Tanzanians to cooperate with the investigation.
She said the commission would be given more time if the five-month period proves insufficient to complete its work.
The new investigation therefore places fresh focus on the events surrounding the 2025 election, particularly the question of who organised and supported the violence and whether those found responsible should face accountability.
It also seeks to address the gap left by the first enquiry, which established the number of deaths recorded by the government but did not name those responsible for the violence.