GENEVA – Reports from the United Nations human rights office indicate that at least 10 people have died in protests in Tanzania following last week’s general election. The deaths were reported in Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga, and Morogoro, according to U.N. spokesperson Seif Magango, who cited credible sources on the ground.
The unrest erupted after opposition leaders were barred from the presidential race, sparking demonstrations across the country. Witnesses said security forces used tear gas and gunfire to disperse protesters. The protests have prompted a nationwide overnight curfew, and internet access has been disrupted since Wednesday.
Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, claims hundreds have been killed since the vote. Party spokesperson John Kitoka said their figures, based on accounts from health workers, suggest around 700 deaths, although authorities have yet to release official numbers. Kitoka urged protests to continue until demands for electoral reforms are met.
Government officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, rejected the opposition figures, describing the violence as limited and caused by criminal elements. Kombo said casualty figures were not yet tabulated and denied that security forces had used excessive force.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a thorough and impartial investigation into all reports of excessive force and condemned the loss of life.
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