Tanzania has blocked access to X (formerly Twitter). The shutdown, confirmed by Netblocks, occurred shortly after a compromised police account posted false claims regarding President Samia Suluhu Hassan. This is the second time in less than a year that Tanzania has shut down the social media platform.
According to NetBlocks, real-time network data showed X becoming unreachable across major Tanzanian internet providers. This follows similar government action in August 2024, when authorities also took X offline after the arrest of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
This was followed by the hacking of the official Tanzania Police Force (TANPOL) X account, which was used to spread unverified news about President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The country’s broader political climate is tense. Tundu Lissu, a major opposition figure who survived an assassination attempt in 2017, has been arrested again and charged with treason. His political party, Chadema, has also been barred from participating in the upcoming October 2025 presidential election.
The situation escalated further when Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan attorney Agather Atuhaire were detained by Tanzanian authorities and have note been released.
On Monday, Tanzania deported other high-profile Kenyan figures, including former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and former Justice Minister Martha Karua, who were in the country to attend Tundu Lisu’s hearing.
In a statement, President Samia criticized the Kenyan activists, saying the East African Region must respect the sovereignty of countries.
