Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan addressed the six-day internet blackout that coincided with the country’s most severe post-election unrest, marking her first public comments since the October vote.

Speaking on Thursday, Hassan expressed "sympathy" for diplomats and foreign residents affected by the disruption and pledged that the government would work to prevent similar events in the future.

Hassan won the October election with more than 97% of the vote, following the exclusion of candidates from the two main opposition parties and the imprisonment of the country’s leading opposition figure on treason charges.

Election-day violence erupted and continued for several days as the government imposed an internet shutdown. Human rights organizations report that the crackdown, carried out by security forces, left hundreds dead.

Hassan attributed the unrest to foreign influences and granted clemency to numerous young detainees, asserting that many acted under peer pressure.