Several hundred feared dead as protests continue

Hundreds of people were killed in Tanzania during three days of protests that followed Wednesday’s general elections, Tanzania’s main opposition party said.

A spokesman for the Chadema party told Agence France-Presse that “about 700” people were killed in clashes with security forces. A nationwide internet shutdown makes it difficult to verify reports of deaths.

The BBC spoke with a diplomatic source in Tanzania who said there was reliable evidence that at least 500 people were killed.

But one minister defended the government’s handling of the unrest, saying that “no one can determine the number of wounded.”

Demonstrations broke out in major cities with young demonstrators condemning the vote as unfair as key opposition figures were banned from running against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabet described what happened as “a few isolated incidents here and there… Our security forces acted very quickly and decisively to address this situation,” he told BBC Focus on Africa television.

“we [also] The minister said that the government continues to receive reports about property that has been vandalized, adding that cutting off the Internet was necessary to stop this vandalism and save lives.

Protests continued on Friday in the main city of Dar es Salaam – in the neighborhoods of Salasala, Yumbo and Tegeta – as demonstrators defied warnings from the country’s military chief to end the unrest.

“Some people took to the streets on October 29 and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should stop immediately,” General Jacob John Mkunda told state television on Thursday, adding that the army had “under control of the situation.”

The government sought to reduce the extent of the violence, and the authorities extended the curfew in an attempt to suppress the unrest.

It has been difficult for journalists and human rights groups to verify reports of deaths due to the internet shutdown.

Hospitals in the country refuse to provide information when asked about the victims.

A source at a referral hospital in Dar es Salaam told the BBC that it had been overwhelmed with victims since Thursday.

The source added that they had heard that this was also the case in other public hospitals in the city where morgues were reportedly full.

One Chadema politician told the BBC that he feared for his life because “massacres are committed during the night hours when there is no one to witness them.”

“They are tracking down all our leaders, and some of them have had to leave the country. These people are killing with impunity,” John Kituka, director of foreign and diaspora affairs at Chadema, told BBC News programme.

The United Nations called on the security forces in the East African country to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

“We are concerned about the deaths and injuries that occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people have been killed,” Reuters quoted UN human rights spokesman Seif Maganjo as saying earlier on Friday.

The BBC has learned that ambassadors from several foreign embassies have also contacted the Tanzanian government to urge security forces to exercise restraint in monitoring the protests.

By late Friday afternoon, the electoral commission had announced results for about 80 of the country’s 272 regions, according to state broadcaster TBC.

The BBC has learned that international observers reported that voter turnout was incredibly low during Wednesday.

President Samia is expected to win the elections under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, which has ruled the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected to be released on Saturday.

In Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar – which elects its own government and leader – Hussein Mwinyi of the CCM party, the current president, won nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there was a “large-scale fraud,” the Associated Press news agency reported.

Tourists on the island were reportedly stranded at the airport, with flights delayed due to protests on the mainland and an internet shutdown.

A Kenyan music publicist said she was stranded for three days in Tanzania due to communication problems.

“The internet was down, shops, gas stations, email, social media, everything was down. Total connectivity was down. No international or regional calls in or out. No texting in or out. There was no Uber or Bolts available because there was no network.” Aneko Awoko posted on Instagram After returning home on Friday on a Kenya Airways flight.

She added: “Many flights were cancelled, and the Tanzania national airline stopped operating. There were many people who were stranded at the airport and were unable to book tickets or reschedule flights due to the disconnection.”

The demonstrators accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, is in prison and another opposition figure has been excluded from the elections, enhancing Samia’s chances of winning.

Lissu is arrested on charges of treason, which he denies, and his party boycotts the vote.

The only other serious contender, ACT-Wasalindo’s Luhaga Mbina, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

16 marginal parties were approved to run in the elections, none of which has historically enjoyed significant popular support.

Samia came to power in 2021 as the first female president of Tanzania following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of kidnappings.

Additional reporting by Stuart McLean and Basilio Rukanga