🔗 Share this article

Based on the chief opposition party, around 700 citizens have purportedly died during three days of election-related clashes in Tanzania.

Unrest Erupts on Voting Day

Protests started on election day over what demonstrators called the silencing of the opposition after the exclusion of prominent contenders from the presidential ballot.

Fatality Figures Stated

An rival representative announced that scores of individuals had been lost their lives since the demonstrations commenced.

"Currently, the fatality count in Dar es Salaam is around 350 and for Mwanza it is more than 200. Combined with figures from other places across the nation, the total count is around 700," the spokesperson stated.

He noted that the toll could be significantly greater because fatalities may be taking place during a nighttime curfew that was imposed from election day.

Additional Accounts

• An official source reportedly stated there had been accounts of over 500 dead, "perhaps 700-800 in the entire nation."
• Amnesty International reported it had received data that at least 100 civilians had been lost their lives.
• The opposition claimed their estimates had been collected by a network of activists attending hospitals and health centers and "documenting the deceased."

Calls for Intervention

The opposition called for the authorities to "halt killing our activists" and demanded a interim government to enable just and transparent polls.

"Stop excessive force. Respect the will of the citizens which is democratic rights," the official declared.

Government Reaction

Authorities reacted by implementing a curfew. Web outages were also observed, with international observers stating it was nationwide.

The following day, the army chief criticized the unrest and labeled the protesters "lawbreakers". The official said authorities would try to control the crisis.

Global Concern

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed it was "worried" by the casualties in the protests, noting it had received reports that a minimum of 10 civilians had been slain by security forces.

The office stated it had obtained reliable information of fatalities in the port city, in a northwestern region and an eastern area, with law enforcement using live ammunition and teargas to disperse demonstrators.

Legal View

A civil rights attorney claimed it was "unreasonable" for security agencies to resort to arms, stating that the country's president "must avoid deploying the law enforcement against the public."

"The president needs to pay attention to the people. The sentiment of the nation is that there was an unfair process … We are unable to vote for a single contender," the lawyer stated.