The European Parliament has voted to suspend planned aid to Tanzania, citing rising human rights abuses and the jailing of opposition leader Tundu Lissu following recent elections.
On Thursday, November 27, 2025, legislators approved a resolution that could block €156 million ($177.27 million or Sh23,444,780,783.77) allocated to Tanzania under the European Union's 2025 action plan.
The motion passed with 539 votes in favor, none against, and 27 abstentions, sending a strong message of concern over the country’s post-election situation. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) highlighted credible reports of violence after the polls and an intensifying environment of fear directed at opposition politicians, journalists, civil society groups, and human rights defenders.
Although the decision is non-binding, requiring approval from the EU Council and EU Commission before being enacted, it signals potential wider financial consequences for President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government. The move comes as Tanzania seeks to restore its international standing following a contested election.
"MEPs adopted a non-binding resolution, by show of hands, asking the Commission to withdraw a draft decision on the financing of the EU’s Annual Action Plan (AAP) for Tanzania for 2025. MEPs believe the current state of the Commission’s AAP does not fully reflect the democratic and human rights deficiencies in Tanzania in recent years, particularly since October’s fraudulent elections and the violent post-election government crackdown," the European Parliament said in a statement.
Central to the Parliament’s concerns is the ongoing detention of Tundu Lissu, one of Tanzania’s most visible opposition figures. The resolution is part of a broader human rights package, reference B10-0505/2025, which also addresses violations in countries including Iran and Tunisia.
MEPs noted that the aftermath of the October 2025 election saw “violent repression on an unprecedented scale.”
Citizens, especially young people, protested against what opposition groups described as a manipulated electoral process that sidelined credible challengers. The election agency declared President Samia the winner with 98 per cent of votes, a result widely disputed by opposition parties.
The protests were met with deadly force. Lawmakers condemned reports that security forces, seemingly operating under shoot-to-kill directives, fired indiscriminately on demonstrators and bystanders, leaving thousands dead and multiple mass graves reported across the country.
The Tanzanian government has yet to issue official casualty numbers, more than a month after the unrest.
The European Parliament is demanding the immediate release of Lissu, who has been imprisoned since April on treason charges that could carry the death penalty if upheld.
MEPs also urged both African and international bodies to investigate killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and other human rights abuses that occurred during the election period.
Meanwhile, President Samia launched a government-led commission of inquiry on November 20, tasking it to identify “who paid the youths” to protest.
“Your job is to find out not only what rights they want precisely, but also who their paymasters were,” she said, citing evidence of both local and external financing behind the demonstrations.
