#internet-blackout

#internet-blackout

Normally, the Namanga One-Stop Border Post is a place of commerce, a busy artery connecting the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam. But in the days following the recent disputed election in Tanzania, it became the flashpoint of a regional democratic crisis. As protests erupted over the exclusion of opposition candidates in the polls amid allegations of vote-rigging, young activists from neighboring Kenya attempted to cross the border not with goods, but with a message of solidarity.

Violent demonstrations broke out in Tanzania's largest city, Dar es Salaam, as the country held an election on Wednesday. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president, is expected to strengthen her grip on the country against the backdrop of rapidly intensifying repression and the exclusion of opponents from the presidential contest. Social media videos show protesters throwing rocks at police, and a petrol station burning.