Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 1 - Tanzania

Country Overview:  ISIS continued recruiting Tanzanian nationals—predominantly from southern Tanzania and the majority-Muslim islands in the Zanzibar archipelago, such as Unguja and Pemba—to bolster its presence in Mozambique, Somalia, and the DRC.  ISIS and al-Shabaab continued exploiting Tanzania’s porous borders to move weapons, money, provisions, and people throughout the region.

Youth disappearances linked to recruitment by ISIS-Somalia, ISIS-DRC, and al-Shabaab continued but at a slower rate than in previous years.  Alleged voluntary recruitment and deployment to ISIS strongholds appeared to increase.  Tanzanian counterterrorism professionals requested case-based mentoring from the U.S. government and expressed interest in creating a Joint Terrorism Task Force like Kenya’s.

Individuals of Tanzanian origin continued filling leadership and rank-and-file roles within ISIS branches in neighboring DRC, Mozambique, and Somalia.  Authorities arrested several Tanzanian or foreign nationals residing in Tanzania with alleged links to ISIS.  Authorities in neighboring countries also arrested Tanzanian nationals with alleged terrorism links.  ISIS continued drawing recruits from southern Tanzania to bolster its branch in northern Mozambique.

The Tanzania Peoples Defense Force (TPDF) withdrew its troops from the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) at the southern border in Cabo Delgado Province in early July 2024 when the mission’s mandate ended.  A few hundred TPDF troops remained under a bilateral agreement to address ISIS-M.

Tanzania continued prosecuting a Tanzanian national for terrorism-related offenses, including possessing materials linked to terrorism and gathering information contrary to Section 29 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (amended in 2012).  Until early July 2024, Tanzania engaged in multilateral efforts through SADC to address regional security and counterterrorism issues. Since SAMIM’s withdrawal, Tanzania maintained a military presence on the border with Mozambique and in Cabo Delgado Province.

2024 Terrorism Trends:  Tanzania experienced no terrorist attacks in 2024, although ISIS plotted an attack there.  Tanzanian nationals continued filling leadership and rank-and-file roles within ISIS branches in the DRC, Mozambique, and Somalia.

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