Election and Unrest

On October 29, President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured a second term with an overwhelming 97–98% of the vote, in an election widely criticized as undemocratic. Key opposition leaders, including Tundu Lissu, were barred from running and later detained on treason charges. Protests erupted across major cities such as Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Mbeya, fueled by anger over the exclusion of opposition candidates and allegations of ballot stuffing.

Authorities responded with curfews, an internet blackout, and a heavy security presence. Witnesses and rights groups report that security forces used live ammunition and tear gas against demonstrators, resulting in widespread casualties.

Allegations of Secret Disposal

Chadema says it has documented 2,000 deaths, including more than 100 party members, and accuses police of dumping hundreds of bodies at undisclosed locations. “Most bodies are still at hospitals, and the police are stopping people from taking them away,” said Brenda Rupia, Chadema’s communications director. “The police have thrown away over 400 bodies. We don’t even know where they’ve taken them.”
Independent verification remains difficult due to the six-day internet shutdown and restrictions on media coverage. However, reports from local lawyers and human rights defenders suggest targeted killings in politically active regions, with some victims allegedly taken from their homes and executed.

International Reaction

The African Union (AU) condemned the election as failing to meet democratic standards, citing ballot stuffing, politically motivated abductions, and the internet blackout. Its observation mission concluded that the environment was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes.”
Human Rights Watch described the government’s response as “violent and repressive,” urging authorities to end the use of lethal force and ensure accountability. The organization documented reports of point-blank shootings and arbitrary killings in multiple regions.

Foreign governments, including Canada, Norway, and the UK, issued a joint statement expressing concern over “credible reports of a large number of fatalities and significant injuries.”

Government’s Position

President Hassan acknowledged “loss of life” during her inauguration but provided no figures. Officials have warned citizens against sharing images that “cause panic,” threatening treason charges for those circulating photos of bodies online.

While Trump did not specify which incidents prompted his statement, allegations of genocide against Nigerian Christians have been circulating in some right-wing US circles in recent weeks. However, violence monitoring organizations report no evidence that Christians are being killed at higher rates than Muslims in Nigeria, a country with roughly equal populations of both faiths.

Nigerian Response

Daniel Bwala, an advisor to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, stated that both leaders share a commitment to fighting “all forms of terrorism against humanity.” He acknowledged that any disagreements about whether violence targets Christians exclusively “or in fact all faiths and no faiths” would be addressed during an upcoming meeting between Trump and Tinubu.

President Tinubu has maintained that religious tolerance exists in Nigeria and emphasized that security challenges affect people “across faiths and regions.”

Trump’s Warning

In a Saturday social media post, Trump announced he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action.” He threatened to send military forces into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless the Nigerian government intervenes, warning that all aid to what he termed “the now disgraced country” would be terminated.

“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” Trump wrote.

Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth responded to the post, confirming: “Yes sir. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

Kenyan authorities recently broke up a human trafficking ring accused of targeting vulnerable citizens with fake job opportunities in order to lure them to Russia, where they would be forced to fight against Ukraine. On September 24, the Transnational Organized Crime Unit of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations found 21 Kenyan men who were “awaiting processing to Russia” at Great Wall Apartments, less than 20 kilometers from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

“We were preparing to leave the country for Russia when the detectives came knocking on our doors. We were actually signing documents”, one man told. A father of three from Kiambu County, he said he was struggling financially and was lured by a promised monthly salary of more than $1,900.

“A friend told me that there was a well-paying job in Russia”, he said. “I was given the number of the person organizing the movement. I talked to him, and he told me what to do and the process to follow.”

Detectives arrested Kenyan Edward Kamau Gituku, whom they accused of coordinating the travel to Russia on various dates in September and October. They recovered documents linking Gituku and a company called Global Face Human Resource Ltd. to another company called Ecopillars Manpower Ltd. for a one-year partnership to recruit, screen and send Kenyans to Russia.

Victims told police that they signed agreements to pay between $13,000 and $18,000 to an unnamed overseas employment agency for visas, travel, accommodations and other logistics.

“Those who fail to pay within 35 days are charged a 1% daily penalty”, Kenyan investigators said. Some of the victims indicated that they had already paid deposits of as much as $774.

Hours after the raid, the investigation led detectives in Nairobi to arrest Mikhail Lyapin, who local media reported was an employee of the Russian Embassy in Nairobi. A source told Kenyan newspaper ‘The Standard. that Mikhail Lyapin was “in the process of being deported”. The Russian embassy denies it has ties to Lyapin and insists he is a businessman.

“Kenyans were being duped to pay huge amounts to secure employment in Russia but end up fighting”, Kenyan investigators said. “Some are reported to be killed, and those who survive bear wounds of torture or are psychologically disturbed.”

One Kenyan who survived the war, 36-year-old track and field athlete Evans Kibet, was reported captured on September 17 by Ukrainian forces. Kibet said he was tricked into joining the Russian army. He explained that a sports agent offered him and three other Kenyans a fully funded tourist visit to Saint Petersburg. After their two-week tourist visa expired, the group’s guide persuaded them to stay and work in Russia.

“He came in the evening with documents written in Russian”, Kibet said in a video interview. “I didn’t know it was a military job. He told me to sign and took my passport and phone, and that is how everything went wrong.”

Kibet said he was taken to a military camp where he was told that he had to serve or he would be shot. After a week of rudimentary weapons training, Kibet said he escaped during his first combat mission by fleeing into a forest in the Kharkiv region and removing his uniform. He wandered for two days before he found and surrendered to a Ukrainian patrol.

Kenya has launched an investigation, according to Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei, who said that he is working to verify Kibet’s claims and gather more information from the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow.

“We are keenly following information on three or four Kenyans allegedly trafficked to Russia and currently held as POWs by Ukraine”, he said, according to Nigerian news website Business Insider Africa.

Source, text and photo

One suspect, accused of coordinating the victims’ travel to Russia in September and October, has been arrested. He was taken to court, which allowed him to be detained for 10 days while the police complete their investigations.

There have been growing concerns over the rising number of Kenyans being trafficked abroad under false job promises.

A young Kenyan athlete was recently captured in Ukraine, saying he was tricked into joining the Russian army.

Authorities said Wednesday’s arrest followed a coordinated multi-agency security operation targeting the criminal network, which has been extorting huge sums from desperate Kenyan job seekers.

A total of 22 Kenyans were found in an apartment in Athi River area, “awaiting processing to Russia”.
Police said the “mysterious trafficking syndicate” was luring Kenyans with job offers in Moscow, only to send them to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine.

Detectives said the victims revealed they had signed contracts with an unnamed overseas employment agency, committing to pay up to $18,000 (£13,000) for visas, travel, accommodation, and other logistics.
Some of the victims also indicated that they had already paid deposits of $1,500.

Once recruited, police said many return home injured, traumatised, or in some cases, never make it back.
Two Kenyans are reported to have recently returned, with one currently admitted to a city hospital.

A senior foreign ministry official recently said the Kenyan government was following up reports of several Kenyan nationals who had allegedly been trafficked to Russia and were now being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.

The so-called Gen-Z protests have seen thousands demonstrate in cities across Madagascar since Thursday, demanding an end to repeated water and power cuts.

President Andry Rajoelina sacked his government on Monday, but protesters responded to calls on social media for a fresh rally on Tuesday.

A message on the protest movement’s Facebook page expressed disappointment with the president’s speech, calling for him to apologise and take responsibility after protesters were killed by the security forces.

The UN’s human rights chief previously said security forces had used “unnecessary force” to quell the unrest, adding that at least 22 people were killed and 100 others injured.

Madagascar’s foreign ministry has rejected the UN’s figures, alleging the data is “based on rumours or misinformation”.

Police were deployed in and around Antananarivo on Tuesday. At one roadblock, they fired teargas to scatter a small crowd that had begun to gather, the AFP news agency reported.

Protests first started in Antananarivo, but have since spread to eight cities across the country.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed in Antananarivo after reports of violence and looting, with police firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

UNCHR head Volker Türk said he was “shocked” by the security forces’ violent crackdown that he said also saw arrests, beatings and live bullets used against demonstrators.

“I urge the security forces to desist from the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force and to immediately release all arbitrarily detained protesters,” Türk said in a statement on Monday.

According to the UN, the dead “include protesters and bystanders killed by members of the security forces, but also others killed in subsequent widespread violence and looting by individuals and gangs not associated with the protesters”.