People with guns and in uniform during Tanzania protests kill seven young footballers in a heartbreaking escalation of post-election fury that has left families shattered and the nation reeling.
Viral Scout Management, a prominent talent agency nurturing East Africa’s rising soccer stars, confirmed on November 3 that its promising wards were gunned down by security forces allegedly inside their homes across Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, and Mwanza.
The victims, aged 15 to 22, included Rajabu Rajab, a speedy winger from the coast; Anthony Rico, a midfield maestro with dreams of European leagues; Abdulqareem Ali, the youngest at 16 and already a local hero; Peter Eliya, 19, known for his header prowess; Mshani Musa, 17, a defender with unyielding grit; Omar Musa, 15, his brother and a budding striker; and John Hosea, 22, the group’s veteran captain.
“These boys represented the vital essence of our future.” Gunned down in cold blood while seeking shelter, their death is not justice; it’s annihilation,” lamented agency founder Victor Ochieng in a tearful X post.
The tragedy unfolded amid waves of unrest following Tanzania’s October 29 general elections, where President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party clinched a controversial victory amid opposition cries of fraud.
Chadema leader Tundu Lissu decried the polls as a “theft of the people’s will”, sparking demonstrations that turned deadly when police unleashed live ammunition on crowds.
Human Rights Watch estimates at least 45 fatalities nationwide, but Viral Scout’s disclosure spotlights the hidden toll on the vulnerable.
Eyewitnesses in Mbeya recounted how officers stormed neighbourhoods under cover of darkness, firing indiscriminately into residences suspected of harbouring protesters.
“They kicked in doors, shouting about agitators. Rajabu was reading the Quran when they shot him,” shared a neighbour of the Rajab family via an anonymous tip to The Citizen newspaper, painting a scene of terror that belies official denials of excessive force.
Viral Scout Management, founded in 2018 to bridge African talent with global scouts, had high hopes for this cohort. Many trained at academies in Arusha, blending rigorous drills with life skills workshops.
Rico, for instance, had trialled with Tanzanian Premier League side Young Africans, while the Musa brothers formed a dynamic sibling duo often compared to Tanzania’s own “Modric and Ronaldo”.
Their deaths, verified by death certificates and mortuary photos circulating on WhatsApp groups, have ignited a digital storm.
Ochieng’s agency vowed to pursue justice through the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, partnering with Amnesty International for forensic analysis.
Opposition voices roared in condemnation. Lissu, addressing a rally in Dodoma, branded the killings “state-sponsored genocide against the youth,” linking them to broader crackdowns that saw over 200 arrests.
“These weren’t rioters; they were kids chasing a ball, not ballots,” he thundered, drawing parallels to the 2020 anti-corruption protests under John Magufuli.
CCM spokespeople, however, pivoted to deflection. A presidential advisor claimed the youths were “infiltrators from Uganda”, a narrative swiftly debunked by Viral Scout’s documentation of their Tanzanian birth records.
President Suluhu, in a measured State House briefing, extended condolences but urged calm: “We mourn every loss, yet stability demands resolve against chaos-mongers.”
Her words rang hollow to grieving mothers like Fatma Ali, Abdulqareem’s parent, who buried her son in a hasty ceremony funded by community collections.
“He wanted to lift us out of poverty with football. Now, who lifts us from this grave?” The international community stirred uneasily.
The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam issued a Level 3 travel advisory, citing risks to civilians, while the East African Community summit in Arusha tabled an emergency resolution for a fact-finding mission.
Locally, soccer federations halted weekend matches, with Simba SC dedicating their next fixture to the fallen via black armbands and a minute’s silence.