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Per the chief rival faction, around 700 individuals have supposedly been slain during three days of election-related demonstrations in the East African nation.

Unrest Begins on Polling Day

Unrest started on Wednesday over what activists described as the stifling of the opposition after the removal of prominent hopefuls from the presidential race.

Fatality Estimates Stated

An opposition official claimed that scores of civilians had been killed since the protests commenced.

"As we speak, the number of deaths in Dar es Salaam is nearly 350 and for another city it is more than 200. Including estimates from other places throughout the nation, the final count is approximately 700," he stated.

He added that the toll could be much higher because killings might be occurring during a night-time lockdown that was imposed from Wednesday.

Other Estimates

• A security source supposedly claimed there had been accounts of exceeding 500 dead, "perhaps 700-800 in the nationwide."
• Amnesty International reported it had gathered data that no fewer than 100 civilians had been slain.
• The opposition claimed their estimates had been gathered by a team of supporters going to medical facilities and medical centers and "documenting dead bodies."

Calls for Intervention

The opposition called for the government to "stop harming our demonstrators" and called for a transitional administration to pave the way for free and fair elections.

"End violence. Uphold the voice of the people which is electoral justice," the official said.

Authorities Response

Authorities reacted by enforcing a restriction. Internet disruption were also noted, with global watchdogs reporting it was countrywide.

The following day, the army chief denounced the violence and called the activists "offenders". He stated security forces would try to control the situation.

International Concern

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was "worried" by the deaths and injuries in the unrest, adding it had received accounts that at least 10 civilians had been lost their lives by law enforcement.

The office stated it had obtained reliable accounts of deaths in the port city, in Shinyanga and Morogoro, with law enforcement discharging live ammunition and teargas to break up crowds.

Expert Opinion

An human rights advocate remarked it was "unreasonable" for security agencies to resort to arms, stating that the nation's leader "must avoid deploying the law enforcement against the civilians."

"She must heed the people. The sentiment of the nation is that there was no election … We are unable to elect a single contender," the advocate commented.