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Violent protests following a contentious election in Tanzania have reportedly led to hundreds of deaths, according to the main opposition party, Chadema, as the country enters a third day of an imposed internet and communications blackout.
Chadema claimed Friday that approximately 700 people have been killed in clashes with security forces, citing figures of around 350 dead in Dar es Salaam and over 200 in Mwanza, warning that the final toll could be higher due to killings during nighttime curfews.
The reports of massive casualties, which could not be independently verified due to the communications blackout and restrictions on foreign journalists, were partially corroborated by other sources.
A security source and a diplomatic source told AFP they were hearing figures suggesting between 500 and 800 deaths nationwide.
However, international bodies provided lower, though still significant, figures: the United Nations cited “credible reports” of 10 dead, while Amnesty International estimated at least 100 fatalities.
The unrest began after Wednesday’s national election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan sought an emphatic victory to solidify her position following her predecessor’s death in 2021.
The opposition was significantly hampered, with her main challengers either jailed or barred from running, and a “wave of terror” reported in the lead-up to the vote.
Protests erupted in major cities, with crowds tearing down posters and attacking police stations, prompting the government to impose a strict curfew and widespread internet restrictions.
In response to the chaos, the army chief, Jacob Mkunda, issued the only official statement, late Thursday, labelling the demonstrators as “criminals.”
President Hassan herself has yet to comment on the escalating unrest.
Meanwhile, on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, the opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo, fiercely rejected the local election result, alleging widespread fraud, including ballot stuffing and observer expulsion, and demanding a fresh election.
A spokesman for the ruling Revolution Party (CCM) stated the internet would only be restored once the situation “calmed.”
