Tanzania

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Tanzania's firebrand opposition figure Tundu Lissu was elected as the chair of the opposition Chadema party with 51.5% of votes against 48% for outgoing chair Freeman Mbowe, the Daily News reported on Jan. 22. 

Tanzania: Opposition Chadema Party Appoints New Leader, Hints at Election Boycott  

Sub-Saharan Africa

Angola

Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Economics

U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that the United States would provide an additional $600 million in financing to support the development of the Lobito Corridor, which will connect Zambia's Copperbelt to the Atlantic Ocean, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 4.

U.S., Africa: Biden Confirms $600M in New Financing for Lobito Corridor

Tanzanian police arrested seven members of the opposition Chadema party in Iringa and Katavi for taking pictures and allegedly attempting to "cause chaos" at voter registration centers, The Chanzo reported on Oct. 21.

Tanzania: Intimidation of Opposition Intensifies Amid Criticism of Voter Registration Process

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Tanzania's opposition Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu announced that he would file a legal case against the Tanzanian government and telecommunications company Tigo for their alleged involvement in a September 2017 assassination attempt against him, Reuters reported on Sept. 25. 

Tanzania: Opposition Leader To File Case Against Telecom Firm, Government Over Assassination Attempt

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered investigations into the abduction and killing of opposition members ahead of the country's local elections in November 2024 and 2025 general election, Bloomberg reported Sept. 8. 

Tanzania: President Orders Probe Into Opposition Leaders' Abduction and Killing

Nigeria

Middle East and North Africa

The ninth edition of the Forum on Africa-China Cooperation began in Beijing, China, Voice of America reported on Sept. 4.

China, Africa: Beijing Strikes Agreements as Africa-China Summit Kicks Off

The Tanzanian government announced that it would convene local government elections on Nov. 27, The Chanzo reported on Aug. 16.

Tanzania: Local Government Elections Scheduled for Nov. 27

The leader of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party, Tundu Lissu, was released on bail with other party leaders, The Citizen reported on Aug. 13.

Tanzania: Opposition Leader Released on Bail, But Supporters Remain Under Arrest  

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The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

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Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

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U.S. President Joe Biden and President Joao Lourenco of Angola on Nov. 30, 2023, at the White House. Biden on Dec. 2-4 will visit Angola, where he will focus on the Lobito Corridor project that aims to refurbish and expand railways connecting critical mineral-rich regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Angolan port of Lobito.

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A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Angola, von der Leyen's Second Term

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The NATO symbol and flags of some member countries Oct. 18 in Brussels. The NATO-Ukraine Council will meet Nov. 26 to discuss Russia's first use of an experimental ballistic missile on Ukrainian territory, which on Nov. 21 Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed involved a new medium-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as "Oreshnik."

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The Weekly Rundown: A NATO-Ukraine Summit, Putin's State Visit to Kazakhstan

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Yael Braun-Pivet, a French lawmaker for the ruling Renaissance party, delivers a speech after being reelected as National Assembly president following the third round of voting on July 18, 2024.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: France Resumes Political Horse-Trading, Blinken Returns to Middle East

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks as Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (L), chair of the African Union, listens during a joint press conference following the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, South Korea, on June 4, 2024.

A recent summit highlights South Korea's commitment to expanding its role in Africa as Yoon looks to strengthen his country's technological future and geopolitical influence.

In South Korea, Yoon's Desire for Supply Chains and Prestige Points to Africa

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (center) attends a mini-summit on the sidelines of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb.17, 2023.

The opposition party's demands for greater reforms risk triggering a security crackdown that would harm Tanzania's new image as a safe and stable investment destination.

Opposition Rallies Test Tanzania's Commitment to Political Liberalization

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Women sit under U.N.-branded cardboard boxes in Semera, Ethiopia, on Feb. 14, 2022, as they wait to be registered by the authorities at a hotel compound hosting civilians fleeing violence. 

GBV is often primarily seen as a women’s and human rights issue. But in sub-Saharan Africa, it is also a key constraint to stable (and democratic) governance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

The Geopolitics of Gender-Based Violence in Africa

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris listens to Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan make a statement to the press before a meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on April 15, in Washington, D.C.

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

China's influence over Tanzania is poised to grow as Beijing continues to invest in the country's infrastructure.

Tanzania's Business-Friendly Stance Opens the Door to U.S.-China Competition

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The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, speaks during the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 5, 2022.

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Congo's ports will grant the East African Community access to the Atlantic Ocean, but the country's overall poor infrastructure and security will limit the volume of trade with other bloc members. 

How Congo's EAC Membership Will Alter Trade in East Africa

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan attends the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 2, 2021.

Hassan's efforts to reverse her predecessor's iron-fisted policies will help attract investment, but the scope may be limited by the global economic climate.

 Can Tanzania's New President Repair Her Country's Image?

A military convoy from a multinational intervention force on Aug. 5, 2021, in Pemba, Mozambique. Islamic State-backed militants appear to be shifting to a guerrilla insurgency in northern Mozambique, while intervening countries face a risk of reprisal attacks at home.

The Fight Against the Islamic State

Islamic State-backed militants appear to be shifting to a guerrilla insurgency in northern Mozambique, while intervening countries face a risk of reprisal attacks at home.

In Mozambique, a Victory Against Jihadists Likely Signals a New Guerrilla Campaign

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Podcasts

In this episode of the Stratfor Essential Geopolitics podcast from RANE, Stratfor senior global analyst at RANE Matthew Bey provides guidance about the impact of the deaths of Chad's and Tanzania's presidents. 

Essential Geopolitics: Two Sub-Saharan Nations Face New Leadership

Tanzania is an East African country on the coast of the Indian Ocean. It borders Uganda and Kenya to the north; Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia to the south; and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda to the east.    Given Tanzania's geographical location, it has a dual identity: It is both a Great Lakes region state and a coastal, southern African state. The Great Lakes region is centered on Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake. The massive body of water has acted as a transport artery for the peoples of the region for thousands of years, helping in the development of a relatively homogenous socio-cultural and linguistic identity. However, while Tanzania derives much from this part of its geography, it is also a thoroughly coastal power. The country's main population center falls on what is known as the Swahili coast. This positioning opened the country up to foreign interaction with Arab traders and others for centuries before British colonization. As a coastal state, Tanzania is able to look beyond the Great Lakes region and connect with southern Africa when it suits its interests.    Managing this geographic duality is a necessary challenge for Tanzanian leaders. However, an ever more pressing challenge will be felt in the years ahead as the country's ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), which is the longest reigning political party on the continent, grapples with inevitable electoral losses. Thus far, CCM has maintained its unparalleled dominance at the top of the Tanzania political system, but cracks will form in the years ahead. Indeed, there have already been signs of trouble: The government annulled the results of 2015 elections on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar in light of opposition success. How CCM's future leaders deal with electoral losses will have an outsized influence on the country's political stability.    On the economic front, Tanzania is likely set to benefit from natural gas projects off its southern coast. The potential windfall in the years ahead (which would also benefit neighboring Mozambique) could serve to increase Tanzania's coffers and its profile on the continent and beyond.

SITUATION REPORTS

Tanzania: Opposition Chadema Party Appoints New Leader, Hints at Election Boycott

U.S., Africa: Biden Confirms $600M in New Financing for Lobito Corridor

Tanzania: Intimidation of Opposition Intensifies Amid Criticism of Voter Registration Process

Tanzania: Opposition Leader To File Case Against Telecom Firm, Government Over Assassination Attempt

Tanzania: President Orders Probe Into Opposition Leaders' Abduction and Killing

China, Africa: Beijing Strikes Agreements as Africa-China Summit Kicks Off

Tanzania: Local Government Elections Scheduled for Nov. 27

Tanzania: Opposition Leader Released on Bail, But Supporters Remain Under Arrest

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