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Per the chief rival group, around 700 people have reportedly been slain during 72 hours of election-related demonstrations in the East African nation.

Unrest Begins on Election Day

Unrest commenced on election day over claims that demonstrators called the stifling of the rival camp after the disqualification of major contenders from the presidential race.

Death Numbers Reported

An rival spokesperson declared that hundreds of civilians had been lost their lives since the protests started.

"As we speak, the number of deaths in the port city is approximately 350 and for Mwanza it is more than 200. Including figures from elsewhere throughout the nation, the total count is nearly 700," he said.

The spokesperson mentioned that the death count could be significantly greater because fatalities might be occurring during a nighttime lockdown that was implemented from Wednesday.

Additional Estimates

• A official insider reportedly stated there had been information of exceeding 500 dead, "possibly 700-800 in the nationwide."
• The human rights organization said it had obtained reports that no fewer than 100 civilians had been lost their lives.
• The opposition claimed their estimates had been collected by a team of party members going to hospitals and health centers and "counting the deceased."

Demands for Change

Rival officials called for the administration to "halt killing our demonstrators" and called for a transitional administration to facilitate free and fair polls.

"Stop violence. Respect the voice of the citizens which is electoral justice," the official declared.

Authorities Response

Authorities responded by implementing a curfew. Web outages were also observed, with global observers stating it was countrywide.

The following day, the army chief condemned the unrest and referred to the demonstrators "criminals". He said law enforcement would try to manage the crisis.

International Response

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated it was "deeply concerned" by the fatalities and harm in the unrest, adding it had received reports that no fewer than 10 people had been killed by authorities.

The office mentioned it had received credible accounts of fatalities in Dar es Salaam, in Shinyanga and Morogoro, with officials firing live ammunition and chemical irritants to scatter crowds.

Expert Perspective

A civil rights lawyer stated it was "unacceptable" for law enforcement to use force, stating that the nation's president "must cease using the law enforcement against the people."

"The president should pay attention to the people. The feeling of the nation is that there was an unfair process … We cannot choose only one option," the advocate said.