🔗 Share this article

As per the leading rival group, roughly 700 citizens have purportedly died during 72 hours of voting demonstrations in the East African nation.

Unrest Begins on Election Day

Uprisings broke out on election day over claims that demonstrators called the suppression of the rival camp after the exclusion of key hopefuls from the election contest.

Casualty Numbers Stated

A opposition representative announced that scores of individuals had been killed since the protests began.

"As we speak, the death toll in Dar es Salaam is approximately 350 and for Mwanza it is more than 200. Including figures from other places around the nation, the final count is nearly 700," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson mentioned that the toll could be even larger because killings may be taking place during a nighttime curfew that was imposed from election day.

Further Reports

• An security insider reportedly stated there had been reports of exceeding 500 fatalities, "maybe 700-800 in the whole country."
• The human rights organization stated it had obtained reports that no fewer than 100 individuals had been slain.
• Rival groups claimed their estimates had been compiled by a network of party members going to clinics and health centers and "documenting the deceased."

Appeals for Intervention

The opposition demanded the government to "halt harming our demonstrators" and called for a caretaker government to facilitate democratic votes.

"Halt police brutality. Uphold the will of the people which is democratic rights," the official declared.

Government Reaction

Officials reacted by enforcing a curfew. Internet disruption were also reported, with global observers reporting it was across the nation.

The following day, the military leader condemned the violence and called the activists "offenders". The official stated law enforcement would try to control the situation.

International Reaction

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed it was "deeply concerned" by the casualties in the protests, mentioning it had obtained accounts that at least 10 people had been slain by authorities.

The office mentioned it had obtained trustworthy information of deaths in Dar es Salaam, in a northwestern region and Morogoro, with law enforcement firing live ammunition and chemical irritants to scatter protesters.

Legal Opinion

A civil rights lawyer stated it was "unreasonable" for authorities to resort to arms, adding that the country's president "should refrain from deploying the law enforcement against the public."

"The president must listen to the citizens. The feeling of the nation is that there was an unfair process … The people are unable to vote for only one option," the advocate said.