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Per the primary opposition party, approximately 700 people have reportedly died during 72 hours of voting demonstrations in Tanzania.

Violence Breaks Out on Polling Day

Demonstrations started on Wednesday over allegations that activists called the suppression of the rival camp after the disqualification of key hopefuls from the election contest.

Casualty Estimates Claimed

A rival spokesperson claimed that scores of individuals had been killed since the unrest started.

"Currently, the death toll in the port city is around 350 and for Mwanza it is 200-plus. Combined with estimates from other regions throughout the nation, the final count is approximately 700," the spokesperson stated.

The spokesperson mentioned that the death count could be significantly greater because deaths might be taking place during a nighttime curfew that was imposed from Wednesday.

Further Accounts

• An official insider supposedly claimed there had been accounts of exceeding 500 dead, "perhaps 700-800 in the nationwide."
• The human rights organization stated it had received data that at least 100 civilians had been killed.
• Rival groups stated their estimates had been collected by a group of activists attending hospitals and health centers and "counting dead bodies."

Appeals for Change

The opposition called for the authorities to "cease killing our protesters" and demanded a caretaker government to facilitate free and fair elections.

"Halt excessive force. Honor the choice of the people which is electoral justice," the spokesperson stated.

Government Reaction

Authorities responded by implementing a lockdown. Web outages were also observed, with international monitors stating it was countrywide.

The following day, the army chief criticized the violence and referred to the activists "lawbreakers". The official said law enforcement would try to control the crisis.

Global Concern

United Nations human rights office expressed it was "alarmed" by the deaths and injuries in the unrest, noting it had gathered accounts that no fewer than 10 individuals had been slain by security forces.

The organization mentioned it had obtained reliable information of fatalities in the port city, in a northwestern region and an eastern area, with officials discharging gunfire and teargas to disperse crowds.

Legal View

An human rights attorney remarked it was "unacceptable" for law enforcement to use force, stating that the nation's leader "must refrain from deploying the law enforcement against the civilians."

"She must heed the public. The feeling of the nation is that there was no election … The people are unable to elect a single contender," the advocate stated.