Roughly 700 Allegedly Slain in Tanzanian Voting Uprisings, Rival Declares

According to the main rival group, nearly 700 citizens have reportedly been killed during a three-day period of poll-related clashes in Tanzania.

Violence Starts on Voting Day

Unrest commenced on election day over allegations that activists called the silencing of the opposition after the removal of key contenders from the presidential ballot.

Fatality Estimates Stated

A opposition official announced that numerous of civilians had been lost their lives since the demonstrations started.

"As we speak, the fatality count in Dar es Salaam is about 350 and for Mwanza it is over 200. Including estimates from elsewhere across the nation, the final number is nearly 700," the official said.

The spokesperson mentioned that the number could be much higher because killings might be taking place during a evening curfew that was implemented from Wednesday.

Further Accounts

• A official source reportedly mentioned there had been information of over 500 fatalities, "perhaps 700-800 in the whole country."
• Amnesty International stated it had received data that a minimum of 100 people had been killed.
• Rival groups asserted their numbers had been gathered by a team of supporters going to hospitals and health centers and "documenting the deceased."

Demands for Intervention

Rival officials demanded the authorities to "cease targeting our protesters" and called for a caretaker government to facilitate democratic polls.

"Halt police brutality. Respect the voice of the public which is electoral justice," the official stated.

Government Reaction

Officials reacted by imposing a curfew. Web outages were also reported, with global observers indicating it was nationwide.

The following day, the army chief criticized the violence and called the demonstrators "criminals". The official said law enforcement would attempt to manage the unrest.

Global Concern

The UN human rights office said it was "worried" by the deaths and injuries in the protests, mentioning it had gathered accounts that no fewer than 10 people had been slain by law enforcement.

The organization mentioned it had received trustworthy information of casualties in the port city, in a northwestern region and an eastern area, with officials discharging real bullets and chemical irritants to scatter protesters.

Legal Perspective

A human rights advocate stated it was "unjustified" for security agencies to resort to arms, noting that the nation's leader "should cease using the police against the civilians."

"She should heed the public. The sentiment of the country is that there was no fair vote … We are unable to vote for a single contender," the lawyer commented.