DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 4 -- PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassans assurance that Tanzania “will stand strong to protect our nation” comes at a moment of uncommon introspection.

The unrest that unfolded in Dar es Salaam after the October 29th General Election was a jarring departure from the countrys long-held reputation for calm political engagement.

Her remarks to city elders were therefore both a reassurance and a rebuke: Reassurance that the state remains capable of defending stability, and a rebuke to those who sought to exploit public frustration for destructive ends.

Her most striking point was also the simplest, that the lives lost and the injuries sustained were Tanzanian lives. In a nation that has consistently prized unity ...