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EU mwaka jana iliweka kikwazo kwa kuzuia msaada wa €156,000,000 kwa Tanzania na kukazia kikwazo hicho baada ya mauaji ya 29 Oktoba 2025 wakati na siku baada ya uchaguzi mkuu
TOKA MAKTABA
EU on Tanzania aid after violent crackdown
Parliament has urged the suspension of €156m in EU aid to Tanzania following a violent post-election crackdown, setting it on a collision course with the CommissionNAIROBI, KENYA - NOVEMBER 20, 2025:
Activists hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate those who lost their lives in post-election violence in Tanzania, in Nairobi, Kenya on November 20, 2025. Participants carried flags and banners, sang solidarity songs, and lit candles.
The United Nations Human Rights Office had reported that hundreds of people were killed in the protests that erupted after last month's elections, in which President Samia Suluhu was declared the winner. (Photo by Lucas Mukasa/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The European Parliament has urged the suspension of €156 million in EU aid to Tanzania following a violent post-election crackdown, setting it on a collision course with the European Commission, which is signalling a preference for continued dialogue with the East African country’s government.
MEPs voted on Thursday by an overwhelming majority to block the planned funding after reports that hundreds were killed during protests that followed the 29 October election, which returned President Samia Suluhu Hassan with 98% of the vote. Observers from the African Union said the elections failed to meet democratic standards.
“These elections were marred by state-sponsored political repression, targeted abductions and manipulation,” said David McAllister, a senior German centre-right MEP, who highlighted the case of his “personal friend,” opposition leader Tundu Lissu of the CHADEMA party, who was barred from running and was imprisoned ahead of the vote.
McAllister spearheaded the parliamentary effort calling for targeted sanctions against members of the Tanzanian government and for the €156 million earmarked for 2026 to be withdrawn, while maintaining support for civil society groups in the country.
A European Commission document dated 23 October 2025 – six days before the election – seen by Euractiv, underscores why the executive has been reluctant to weaken ties with the Tanzanian government. It describes Tanzania as a “key strategic partner” and “a regional stabiliser,” noting “strong momentum” for EU engagement.
Parliament’s vote is merely advisory. While the Commission has frozen the aid pending further assessment, it has so far stopped short of endorsing a suspension.
“The European Union is now seeking to discuss with Tanzania at political level how these events will be addressed by the Tanzanian government and to assess on which basis our close cooperation could continue after these events,” a Commission spokesperson said.
According to one source, the Commission has told people in Parliament that it lacks a clear legal basis to cancel the funding outright, and that a freeze is the strongest action it can take.
McAllister has written to EU Commissioner Jozef Síkela, who handles international development, and chief diplomat Kaja Kallas – letters seen by Euractiv – criticising what he called the bloc’s overly cautious approach to Tanzania.
In a statement coordinated with national governments and released on 3 November 2025, days after the election, the EU’s diplomatic wing said Brussels “takes note” of the results and is “very concerned” about the violence, internet shutdown, and reported fatalities. It also emphasised the bloc’s “longstanding partnership” with Tanzania – a phrase McAllister said was “disconnected from the facts on the ground.”
Philippe Van Damme, a former EU ambassador in Africa, questioned whether withdrawing development assistance would change the government’s behaviour. “If a regime is ready as we have seen in Tanzania to sacrifice people to stay in power, our [Official Development Assistance] doesn’t have the weight to influence that,” he said.
The Tanzanian government, meanwhile, has pushed back. In a letter to senior Parliament officials last week – first reported by EUobserver and seen by Euractiv – its Brussels embassy lobbied for the debate on its human rights record to be pushed back, arguing that “natural justice” has not been upheld because its diplomats had not been “invited to provide factual clarification.”
“Tanzania values its longstanding partnership with the European Union,” a Tanzanian diplomat wrote, adding that “constructive dialogue, rather than unilateral judgments,” should guide relations
Source Euractiv

