Nearly 700 Allegedly Perish in Tanzania Poll Clashes, Opposition Claims

Per the main rival party, around 700 individuals have supposedly been killed during a three-day period of election-related clashes in the East African nation.

Unrest Begins on Election Day

Protests broke out on election day over allegations that protesters labeled the stifling of the rival camp after the disqualification of prominent contenders from the election contest.

Fatality Figures Stated

A rival official declared that hundreds of people had been slain since the unrest commenced.

"As we speak, the number of deaths in Dar es Salaam is around 350 and for another city it is 200-plus. Added to estimates from elsewhere around the country, the final number is nearly 700," he remarked.

The spokesperson added that the death count could be even larger because fatalities may be occurring during a evening curfew that was enforced from Wednesday.

Further Estimates

• An security source supposedly mentioned there had been reports of more than 500 dead, "maybe 700-800 in the whole country."
• The human rights organization stated it had received data that at least 100 people had been killed.
• The opposition stated their figures had been compiled by a team of activists visiting clinics and health centers and "tallying fatalities."

Demands for Action

Rival officials demanded the administration to "halt targeting our activists" and demanded a transitional administration to pave the way for free and fair polls.

"End police brutality. Honor the voice of the citizens which is democratic rights," the spokesperson said.

Authorities Response

The government reacted by enforcing a restriction. Web outages were also observed, with global watchdogs indicating it was across the nation.

On Thursday, the army chief criticized the unrest and labeled the activists "offenders". The official announced law enforcement would try to control the crisis.

Global Reaction

The UN human rights office said it was "worried" by the deaths and injuries in the demonstrations, noting it had received information that at least 10 people had been lost their lives by security forces.

The office reported it had received credible accounts of deaths in Dar es Salaam, in a northwestern region and Morogoro, with law enforcement using gunfire and chemical irritants to disperse protesters.

Legal Opinion

A civil rights advocate stated it was "unjustified" for law enforcement to employ violence, adding that the nation's leader "ought to avoid using the police against the people."

"The president must heed the people. The feeling of the nation is that there was no fair vote … The people are unable to choose only one option," the lawyer said.