Tanzania election protests turn deadly as opposition claims 700 deaths amid blackout. Government denies excessive force, UN reports credible fatalities

Tanzania election protests have reportedly left hundreds dead after three days of violent clashes following Wednesday’s controversial national vote, according to opposition figures, even as the government denies using excessive force.

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The main opposition party, Chadema, claimed that more than 700 people have been killed across the country, citing “credible internal tallies” from Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, and other regions.

“The figure for deaths in Dar is around 350 and for Mwanza over 200. Added to reports from other parts of the country, the overall figure is around 700,” Chadema spokesman John Kitoka told AFP, warning that “killings could be happening under curfew hours.”

However, the Tanzanian government dismissed the allegations. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told Al Jazeera that the authorities had “no figures” on fatalities, insisting that “no excessive force has been used.”

A security source and a diplomat in Dar es Salaam corroborated reports of mass casualties, saying the death toll “could be in the hundreds.”

The unrest erupted after President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party declared victory in an election widely condemned as unfair.

Major opposition leaders were jailed or barred from contesting, while reports of ballot stuffing and voter intimidation were rife.

As protesters tore down campaign posters and clashed with security forces, the government imposed a nationwide internet blackout and curfew, leaving foreign journalists and rights groups struggling to verify events on the ground.

The United Nations said Friday that it had received “credible reports” of 10 deaths, while Amnesty International estimated “at least 100” killed. Both organisations called for an independent investigation into the use of lethal force.

In Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region and tourist hub, CCM was swiftly declared the winner of local elections. Opposition group ACT-Wazalendo rejected the result, alleging massive rigging, ballot stuffing, and voter suppression.

“They have robbed the people of Zanzibar of their voice. The only solution is a fresh election,” the party said in a statement.

Residents, fearful of retaliation, spoke anonymously to AFP, saying arrests and abductions were taking place overnight.

Hassan, who took office after the 2021 death of her predecessor John Magufuli, has faced mounting resistance from within her own party and sections of the military.

Analysts suggest her push for an overwhelming victory was meant to consolidate power amid internal dissent.

Rights groups had warned ahead of the vote of a “wave of terror”, pointing to politically motivated arrests and disappearances in the weeks leading up to election day.

Much of the public anger has now turned toward Hassan’s son, Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, accused of overseeing the crackdown.

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As the Tanzania election protests stretch into a fourth day with communications still cut, the full extent of the violence remains unclear but human rights observers warn that the country may be facing its bloodiest political crisis in decades.