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Based on the main opposition group, about 700 citizens have purportedly died during a three-day period of voting clashes in the East African nation.

Violence Breaks Out on Election Day

Protests broke out on election day over claims that demonstrators labeled the suppression of the rival camp after the exclusion of prominent hopefuls from the election contest.

Fatality Estimates Reported

A rival representative announced that numerous of civilians had been slain since the protests commenced.

"At present, the number of deaths in Dar es Salaam is about 350 and for Mwanza it is over 200. Added to figures from other regions throughout the country, the final figure is nearly 700," the spokesperson stated.

The spokesperson noted that the number could be much higher because deaths could be occurring during a nighttime lockdown that was enforced from Wednesday.

Additional Accounts

• A official insider allegedly mentioned there had been information of exceeding 500 fatalities, "maybe 700-800 in the whole country."
• Amnesty International reported it had received information that a minimum of 100 civilians had been slain.
• The opposition asserted their numbers had been compiled by a team of activists attending hospitals and health centers and "documenting fatalities."

Calls for Action

The opposition urged the government to "stop killing our activists" and called for a caretaker administration to pave the way for just and transparent votes.

"Halt violence. Honor the will of the public which is democratic rights," the spokesperson said.

Government Reaction

Authorities responded by imposing a restriction. Online restrictions were also noted, with international watchdogs indicating it was countrywide.

On Thursday, the army chief condemned the unrest and called the protesters "criminals". The official stated security forces would attempt to manage the crisis.

International Concern

United Nations human rights office stated it was "worried" by the casualties in the unrest, mentioning it had gathered accounts that no fewer than 10 people had been lost their lives by authorities.

The organization mentioned it had collected credible accounts of casualties in Dar es Salaam, in Shinyanga and an eastern area, with security forces using real bullets and teargas to break up demonstrators.

Expert Perspective

An human rights attorney stated it was "unjustified" for law enforcement to employ violence, stating that the nation's president "must refrain from using the law enforcement against the civilians."

"The president should pay attention to the citizens. The sentiment of the nation is that there was an unfair process … The people cannot elect a single contender," the lawyer commented.