Intelligence Brief | Tanzania Blocks YouTube & Facebook to Suppress Ambassador Polepole’s Demand for President Samia’s Replacement in 2025
Ujasusi Blog’s East Africa Monitoring Team | 01 August 2025 | 0730 BST
On 31 July 2025, Tanzanian authorities deliberately restricted access to YouTube and Facebook during a widely anticipated press conference by former Tanzanian Ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole. The digital blackout was reportedly a strategic move to suppress the dissemination of content critical of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership.
Polepole’s more than 3-hour online address was meant to announce and justify his resignation from his diplomatic post. However, it quickly evolved into a searing indictment of the ruling elite—especially CCM’s internal rot and what he described as Tanzania’s drift into authoritarianism cloaked in democratic language.
This intelligence brief highlights the key themes from the speech, contextualises the government's digital censorship, and assesses the outlook for both Ambassador Polepole and President Samia in the lead-up to the 2025 general elections.