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Jailed Tanzanian opposition leader reportedly ends hunger strike after brother meeting

Tundu Lissu's lawyer says the opposition leader ended his protest after a private meeting, while the prisons service denies a strike.

Updated Oct 27, 2026 · 22:21 UTC3 reports

The short version

Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu ended a brief hunger strike Tuesday after a private meeting with his younger brother, his lawyer said.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Lissu's lawyer said he began refusing food Tuesday morning after promised confidential legal consultations failed to take place Monday.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Chadema's spokesperson said the strike began Monday, while Tanzania's prisons service denied Lissu was on hunger strike.[Al Jazeera]
Prison authorities and the government initially made no public statements, and the strike's start date and existence remain disputed.[Associated Press · Al Jazeera · ABC News]

Tundu Lissu ended a brief hunger strike on Tuesday after a private meeting with his younger brother.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Lissu's lawyer said he began refusing food Tuesday morning after promised confidential legal consultations did not take place Monday.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Tanzania's prisons service denied that Lissu was on hunger strike and said he was safe.[Al Jazeera]
Prison authorities and the government had issued no public statements on the hunger strike, according to reporting.[Associated Press · ABC News]
An inquiry found at least 518 people died in the election violence, while Chadema put the death toll at about 2,000.[Associated Press]

The start date of the hunger strike is disputed: Chadema's spokesperson said Monday, while Lissu's lawyer said Tuesday morning.[Al Jazeera]
The death toll is contested: an inquiry found at least 518 deaths, while Chadema estimated about 2,000, a figure the U.N. said it could not verify.[Associated Press]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.