What began as a tense election week in Tanzania descended into one of the country’s deadliest episodes of political violence in decades, as witnesses across major cities described police opening fire on civilians, many of them far from any protests, leaving hundreds dead and families still searching for the missing.

Around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, police patrols entered Mjimwema, a quiet hillside neighborhood in Mwanza overlooking Lake Victoria. Residents were drinking coffee, shopping or watching television. There were no demonstrations nearby.

Without warning, officers began firing in multiple directions, witnesses told Reuters, sending people scrambling for cover. Men sheltering inside a small wooden cafe were ordered outside, forced to lie face down on the street, and then shot.

When the gunfire stopped, more than a dozen people lay dead.

A video later verified by Reuters showed the aftermath: 13 motionless bodies sprawled across blood-soaked ground near the cafe entrance, sandals and cellphones scattered nearby. "All of them are dead,” a voice says off-camera. "This is murder.”

The killings in Mjimwema, reported in detail for the first time, were among the most lethal single incidents during days of unrest surrounding Tanzania’s Oct. 29 elections, violence that witnesses say stretched far beyond protest zones and targeted civilians with no political involvement.

Shootings beyond the streets of protest

Reuters interviewed nine witnesses to eight separate incidents in Mwanza, Dar es Salaam and Arusha.

Their accounts describe police firing at people who were not protesting, sometimes kilometers from demonstrations, often without explanation.

The unrest was fueled by the disqualification of leading opposition candidates, mass arrests and alleged abductions of critics.

What followed was the worst political violence Tanzania has seen since independence, shattering its long-held image as a bastion of regional stability.

The U.N. human rights office estimates hundreds were killed. Independent experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council later cited reports suggesting security forces were given "shoot to kill” orders during an enforced curfew.

The U.S. government says it is reviewing its relationship with Tanzania in response.

The government denies issuing such orders.

"The Government does not recognise a policy or practice of intentional brutality against civilians,” said Palamagamba Kabudi, minister of state in the president’s office, adding that a commission of inquiry has been formed to investigate election-related violence.

A youth-led uprising, a hardened response

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the election with nearly 98% of the vote.

In public remarks, she has defended the security response as necessary to restore order after what she described as violent protests.

Hassan, who assumed office in 2021 after her predecessor died, initially won praise for easing political restrictions.

But in recent years, her government has cracked down on opponents, accusing them of attempting to destabilize the country.

As young demonstrators, echoing so-called Gen-Z protest movements seen in Kenya, Madagascar and Nepal, took to the streets demanding accountability, authorities cut internet access nationwide for more than five days, restricting the flow of information.

Police also warned that sharing images that "cause panic” or "degrade dignity” could result in prosecution.

Charles Kitima, secretary-general of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, said security forces deliberately targeted civilians.

"We have witnessed people killed inside their homes,” he said. "These were intended killings.”

The night of the Mjimwema shootings

Residents said police had earlier passed through Mjimwema around 6:00 p.m., ordering people to go home, an instruction that many ignored, unaware of any curfew.

Two hours later, about six officers, some in green police uniforms, others dressed in black, returned on foot and opened fire, witnesses said.

Inside the cafe, where football matches were usually shown, patrons switched off lights and the television. When police reached the door, they ordered everyone outside and told them to lie down.

One survivor recalled crawling onto the street amid shouted insults. Officers never explained why they were there.

"They would shoot again if they saw you move,” he said.

After about 30 seconds of gunfire, police left, firing into the air as they departed. When the survivor stood up, he said he saw more than 15 people dead or wounded around him.

Minutes later, officers returned in a large vehicle, loaded the bodies and drove away, four witnesses said.

Bodies, hospitals and missing victims

At Sekou Toure Hospital, a man in his 20s arrived shortly before 10 p.m. with a gunshot wound, telling staff police had shot people at a cafe in Mjimwema.

Less than an hour later, police brought in about 15 young men, nearly all already dead, according to a hospital source.

Authorities did not respond to requests for comment about the hospital transfers.

Reuters confirmed the identities of three victims.

Raphael Esau Magige, 39, a tailor, and his 27-year-old nephew Johnson Patrick Deus had gone to the cafe to watch the news.

Neither was politically active.

Deus, who had recently secured a job in Dar es Salaam, left behind a young son.

Magige was shot three times in the neck and chest. Deus was shot four times, including in the ribs and chest. They were buried on Nov. 4.

Another victim, 20-year-old Juma Shaban Joseph, a domestic worker and devoted Simba S.C. football fan, was seen dead at the scene, a family friend said. His relatives have searched hospitals and mortuaries without finding his body.

The U.N. Human Rights Office has cited reports that security forces removed bodies to undisclosed locations "in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence.” Kabudi denied any such policy.

A silent site, unanswered questions

The cafe where the killings occurred no longer stands. A photo taken in mid-December shows the structure dismantled. Witnesses said workers took it down weeks after the shooting. It remains unclear who ordered its removal.

Kabudi said authorities are reviewing the Mjimwema incident but require verified information before reaching conclusions. The commission of inquiry’s findings, he said, will be released "in due course.”

For families still searching for loved ones, answers cannot come soon enough.