Tanzania election protests turn deadly; opposition alleges 700 killed in violent clashes

Tanzania election protests: Violent clashes erupted across Tanzania following the general election this week. It saw the incumbent president’s main rivals barred from the ballot. The opposition has sensationally claimed that around 700 people have died in the unrest.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is seeking a second term, is widely expected to secure an easy victory in the polls. The elections were held on Wednesday. This expectation follows the electoral authorities' decision to exclude the candidates of the two largest opposition parties. Results from 120 of the country’s 272 constituencies currently show Tanzania’s first female leader in the lead with approximately 97% of the vote.

The main opposition Chadema party stated that approximately 700 people have been killed in the escalating clashes between protesters and security forces.

“Those who have been injured run into thousands,” John Kitoka, the director of foreign affairs for the Chadema party, according to news agency Bloomberg.

“Many of our supporters are being rounded up and arrested across the country,” Kitoka added.

Security forces across the East African nation initiated a crackdown on protests that first erupted on Wednesday, deploying personnel nationwide. Armoured cars continue to patrol the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, this Friday. Furthermore, internet access remains restricted, having been shut down on the day of the poll.

Tanzania’s Army chief has commented that criminal offences have occurred during the protests, including the destruction of both private and public property.

“This is unacceptable,” Chief of the Tanzania People’s Defence Force Jacob Mukunda said in a televised speech on the Tanzania Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday night. “We can’t allow this to continue happening.”

While the authorities have not released any official data on casualties, Amnesty International estimates that “roughly 100 people” have died, according to Roland Ebole, a regional researcher for the organisation. He added that the figure is currently unverified, Bloomberg reported.

Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, has been held in prison since April on treason charges, whilst its deputy head, John Heche, is currently in police custody.

Tanzania election protests: Protesters Unlikely to Back Down

Protesters are unlikely to back down “until their demands for reform and change are met,” Kitoka.

The United Nations has expressed alarm regarding the violence, stating that “credible reports” show at least 10 people have been killed. It called upon the security forces to refrain from using “unnecessary or disproportionate force,” according to an official statement.

The current violence could potentially affect logistics at the city’s vital Indian Ocean port, which is crucial for Africa’s two largest copper producers—Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.