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Per the main opposition party, around 700 civilians have supposedly perished during 72 hours of voting clashes in the East African nation.

Clashes Erupts on Election Day

Unrest broke out on election day over claims that activists called the suppression of the opposition after the exclusion of prominent hopefuls from the presidential race.

Death Numbers Reported

A opposition representative stated that hundreds of civilians had been slain since the demonstrations commenced.

"Currently, the fatality count in the port city is about 350 and for Mwanza it is over 200. Combined with estimates from other places across the nation, the overall number is around 700," he said.

The spokesperson mentioned that the death count could be much higher because killings may be taking place during a evening restriction that was imposed from election day.

Other Estimates

• An security source allegedly claimed there had been reports of exceeding 500 dead, "maybe 700-800 in the nationwide."
• Amnesty International stated it had received reports that a minimum of 100 individuals had been killed.
• The opposition claimed their estimates had been gathered by a team of activists going to medical facilities and medical centers and "counting the deceased."

Demands for Action

The opposition called for the government to "stop harming our demonstrators" and called for a caretaker government to enable free and fair elections.

"End police brutality. Uphold the choice of the citizens which is fair elections," the official declared.

Authorities Reaction

Officials responded by imposing a restriction. Online restrictions were also observed, with international observers indicating it was countrywide.

On Thursday, the army chief denounced the violence and referred to the protesters "lawbreakers". The official announced law enforcement would try to contain the unrest.

Global Reaction

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated it was "worried" by the casualties in the unrest, noting it had gathered information that a minimum of 10 civilians had been lost their lives by security forces.

The office mentioned it had received credible accounts of fatalities in Dar es Salaam, in a northwestern region and an eastern area, with security forces using real bullets and chemical irritants to break up protesters.

Legal Perspective

A civil rights advocate remarked it was "unacceptable" for law enforcement to use force, adding that the nation's president "must refrain from using the police against the people."

"The president needs to listen to the citizens. The mood of the nation is that there was an unfair process … The people cannot choose one candidate," the advocate said.