European Union threatens Tanzania with sanctions, funding freeze over post-election abuses

The resolution, passed on Thursday with 539 votes in favour, none against and 27 abstentions, reflects growing international alarm over reports of mass killings, arbitrary detentions, and a systematic crackdown on political dissent.

At the centre of the EU’s concerns is the post-election violence that erupted after President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s bid for re-election, which opposition groups and international observers described as deeply flawed, non-transparent, and marred by intimidation.

Claims of ballot tampering, exclusion of opposition candidates, and the detention of political rivals fuelled allegations that the vote lacked legitimacy.

According to opposition and rights-group claims cited by media, including CNN, as many as 1,000 people may have been killed, with reports of mass graves following a brutal crackdown by security forces seeking to suppress protests against the disputed results.

The resolution strongly condemns the arrest and continued detention of prominent opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was barred from participating in the electoral process and later charged with a capital offence.

MEPs described his detention as “arbitrary and politically motivated,” calling for his immediate and unconditional release. Parliament also reiterated its longstanding demand for Tanzania to abolish the death penalty and commute all existing death sentences.

Lawmakers urged the creation of an African-led independent commission of inquiry to investigate killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other alleged state-sponsored abuses.

According to the resolution, accountability must be central to any political settlement, and those responsible for the violence should face potential EU sanctions.

The Parliament further called on the European Commission and the Council to halt direct support to Tanzanian authorities, warning that continued engagement without accountability would undermine European human rights commitments.

Instead, MEPs want EU assistance redirected toward civil society organisations, journalists, and human rights defenders who have faced intimidation since the election.

With pressure mounting both domestically and internationally, the EU’s intervention signals a turning point for Tanzania’s political crisis and intensifies calls for credible elections and a return to democratic norms.