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According to the chief opposition party, roughly 700 citizens have allegedly been killed during 72 hours of election-related demonstrations in the East African nation.

Unrest Breaks Out on Voting Day

Uprisings started on election day over what protesters called the stifling of the opposition after the removal of key hopefuls from the election contest.

Fatality Figures Reported

A opposition spokesperson declared that hundreds of civilians had been slain since the unrest started.

"At present, the fatality count in the port city is approximately 350 and for another city it is 200-plus. Combined with figures from elsewhere around the country, the total number is around 700," the official remarked.

The spokesperson mentioned that the death count could be significantly greater because deaths might be happening during a evening lockdown that was imposed from election day.

Further Estimates

• A official insider supposedly mentioned there had been reports of more than 500 fatalities, "perhaps 700-800 in the entire nation."
• Amnesty International reported it had obtained information that a minimum of 100 people had been slain.
• Rival groups asserted their estimates had been gathered by a group of supporters going to hospitals and health clinics and "counting the deceased."

Calls for Action

The opposition demanded the administration to "halt harming our protesters" and demanded a interim government to enable free and fair elections.

"Stop police brutality. Respect the choice of the citizens which is electoral justice," the official said.

Government Response

Authorities reacted by imposing a lockdown. Online restrictions were also reported, with global monitors reporting it was countrywide.

On Thursday, the military leader criticized the violence and labeled the protesters "lawbreakers". He stated law enforcement would seek to control the crisis.

International Concern

United Nations human rights office expressed it was "worried" by the fatalities and harm in the protests, noting it had gathered reports that at least 10 civilians had been killed by law enforcement.

The organization stated it had collected reliable information of fatalities in the port city, in Shinyanga and an eastern area, with security forces discharging live ammunition and teargas to disperse crowds.

Expert View

A human rights lawyer claimed it was "unacceptable" for law enforcement to employ violence, adding that the nation's president "must refrain from deploying the police against the public."

"The president needs to listen to the citizens. The feeling of the country is that there was an unfair process … The people cannot choose a single contender," the advocate commented.