Tanzania is in shock after hundreds of young protesters were reportedly killed following the October 29 elections, insiders told AFP.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan officially won 98 percent of the vote, while opposition leaders were jailed or disqualified.
Opposition groups claim more than 1,000 people died as security forces violently suppressed protests during a five-day internet blackout.
The government has not released official casualty figures, raising fears of a cover-up across the country.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said bodies were reportedly moved to undisclosed locations to hide evidence.
A senior official, speaking anonymously, identified suspected mass grave sites near Dar es Salaam, though these could not be verified.
A tiny cabal around the president now controls Tanzania’s government and security forces, sources said.
Eyewitnesses reported people shot at close range by police and armed men during election-day protests.
The opposition has called new demonstrations for December 9, raising concerns about further violence.
Abductions and killings of critics began more than a year before the election, targeting both activists and ordinary citizens.
High-profile cases included former government spokesman Humphrey Polepole, reportedly abducted from his blood-stained home on October 6.
Observers describe the government as authoritarian, driven by paranoia, and using brutal force against perceived threats.
Lawmakers privately discuss the killings but remain paralysed by fear of retaliation from security forces.
Officials warn that Tanzania’s political landscape has been fundamentally altered, leaving citizens gripped by fear and uncertainty.
