Keypoints:
- Chadema says 700 killed in unrest
- UN confirms at least 10 deaths
- Government says order being restored
TANZANIA main opposition party said on Friday that hundreds of people had been killed in nationwide protests over this week’s elections, as the government claimed it was restoring order after what it described as ‘isolated incidents’.
The opposition Chadema party told Reuters it had documented around 700 deaths since Wednesday’s vote, citing reports from health workers across several cities. The United Nations, offering the first public estimate by an international body, said there were credible reports of at least 10 people killed in Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga, and Morogoro.
‘We are calling for the protests to continue until our demands for electoral reforms are made,’ said Chadema spokesperson John Kitoka, whose party was barred from the election for refusing to sign a code of conduct and whose leader was arrested in April on treason charges.
Protests erupt over disputed vote and arrests
Protesters have taken to the streets since Wednesday, angered by the exclusion of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two main challengers from the race and what they described as widespread repression and electoral manipulation.
Witnesses said police fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse crowds, while local media reported that government offices and other buildings had been set ablaze. Police imposed an overnight curfew in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, for the past two nights, and internet access has been disrupted since Wednesday.
Military and police units patrolled city streets on Friday, preventing movement without official authorisation. The government extended a work-from-home order for civil servants as part of what it called temporary security measures.
Government insists order is being restored
In a statement broadcast on state television, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told diplomatic missions that ‘owing to isolated incidents of breaching law and order, the government has heightened security and taken several precautionary measures’.
‘The security measures in place are temporary but necessary, and normalcy will return shortly,’ the statement said.
President Hassan’s government has not provided any casualty figures or responded to repeated requests for comment on the opposition’s claims. Reuters said it could not independently verify the reported death tolls.
The unrest marks a serious challenge for Hassan, who was once praised for easing political repression after assuming office in 2021, but has since faced mounting criticism from opposition groups and rights advocates. Allegations of arrests and abductions of political opponents have drawn condemnation both locally and internationally, though the president has denied widespread abuses.
UN and EU call for restraint
In Geneva, UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango urged Tanzania’s security forces to ‘refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force’ and called on protesters to remain peaceful.
The European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, in a statement issued Thursday, described the elections as a ‘fraud’ that ‘unfolded in an atmosphere of repression, intimidation, and fear’.
One resident of Dar es Salaam told Reuters that a family member was shot dead outside a hospital after being mistaken for a protester. A police spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
As the National Electoral Commission began releasing provisional results showing President Hassan with commanding majorities, Chadema has vowed to continue peaceful demonstrations until what it calls ‘stolen democracy’ is restored.
