INTELLIGENCE INSIGHT: How the Zanzibar-Mainland Divide is Being Weaponised as a Divide-and-Rule Tactic in Tanzania’s October 2025 Crisis
Ujasusi Blog’s East Africa Monitoring Team | 02 November 2025 | 0235 GMT
📋 Executive Summary
The concept of “Zanzibarisation”—a term coined by Ujasusi Blog—has emerged in Tanzania’s political discourse, reflecting concerns about perceived increased Zanzibari influence in the Union government. Following the disputed 29 October 2025 general election, this constitutional and identity-based fault line is being strategically weaponised by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s regime to fragment and neutralise unprecedented nationwide resistance.
Hassan won with 97.66% after her main challengers were jailed or barred, triggering protests nationwide that led to hundreds of reported deaths, internet shutdowns, and military deployment. This intelligence assessment analyses how the regime systematically exploits the Zanzibar-Mainland cleavage to deflect blame, sow internal division, and prevent unified resistance.