Outrage in Tanzania over viral gang rape video

Outrage in Tanzania Over Viral Gang Rape Video

Tanzanian authorities have launched an investigation following the circulation of a disturbing video allegedly depicting a gang rape, which has sparked widespread outrage across the nation. The footage, showing a young woman being assaulted by multiple men, surfaced online on Sunday, leading to immediate calls for justice from human rights organizations.

Police have confirmed that the investigation is “progressing well,” although they have not officially disclosed any arrests. However, Home Affairs Minister Hamad Masauni has indicated that some suspects have been apprehended. The authorities have urged the public to refrain from sharing the video further, to protect the victim and her family from additional harm.

The incident was first highlighted by Boniface Jacob, the former mayor of Ubungo, a district in Dar es Salaam, on social media platform X. Jacob claimed that the assault occurred in another part of Dar es Salaam and suggested a potential connection between the perpetrators and the Tanzanian military, though this has not been confirmed.

The Tanganyika Law Society condemned the attack as a severe violation of legal and social norms. Meanwhile, the Msichana Initiative, a girls’ rights advocacy group, called for decisive action and criticized the continued online sharing of the video, which they argued exacerbates the victim’s suffering.

The Legal and Human Rights Centre has urged President Samia Suluhu Hassan to publicly denounce the assault, warning that failure to do so could embolden further abuses. This case is a grim reminder of a similar incident in 2019, when several men were arrested for a series of gang rapes in northeastern Tanzania.