🔗 Share this article Nearly 700 Reportedly Perish in Tanzanian Election Demonstrations, Opposition Claims According to the leading opposition faction, around 700 individuals have reportedly been killed during a three-day period of poll-related protests in the East African nation. Violence Begins on Election Day Uprisings broke out on election day over allegations that activists labeled the silencing of the opposition after the disqualification of key candidates from the election contest. Death Numbers Claimed A rival official declared that scores of civilians had been lost their lives since the unrest commenced. "As we speak, the fatality count in the port city is approximately 350 and for Mwanza it is 200-plus. Including numbers from other places across the country, the final count is approximately 700," the spokesperson remarked. The spokesperson mentioned that the death count could be significantly greater because fatalities might be occurring during a night-time restriction that was implemented from Wednesday. Additional Accounts A security insider allegedly mentioned there had been accounts of exceeding 500 fatalities, "perhaps 700-800 in the nationwide." Amnesty International said it had gathered information that no fewer than 100 individuals had been killed. Rival groups stated their estimates had been gathered by a team of supporters visiting medical facilities and health clinics and "documenting dead bodies." Calls for Intervention Rival officials urged the authorities to "stop harming our protesters" and demanded a interim administration to facilitate just and transparent polls. "Halt police brutality. Respect the will of the people which is electoral justice," the spokesperson declared. Authorities Measures Officials reacted by enforcing a curfew. Online restrictions were also reported, with international monitors reporting it was countrywide. The following day, the army chief criticized the violence and called the demonstrators "offenders". The official announced security forces would seek to contain the situation. International Response United Nations human rights office expressed it was "alarmed" by the deaths and injuries in the demonstrations, adding it had obtained reports that at least 10 civilians had been lost their lives by security forces. The office mentioned it had obtained reliable information of casualties in the port city, in Shinyanga and Morogoro, with law enforcement firing real bullets and teargas to disperse protesters. Legal Perspective A human rights advocate stated it was "unreasonable" for security agencies to use force, noting that the nation's leader "must avoid using the police against the civilians." "The president should heed the public. The mood of the country is that there was an unfair process … We cannot vote for only one option," the advocate commented.