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Based on the chief rival group, roughly 700 people have allegedly perished during a three-day period of election-related unrest in the East African nation.

Violence Begins on Election Day

Uprisings broke out on election day over allegations that protesters called the suppression of the opposition after the exclusion of major candidates from the presidential ballot.

Fatality Numbers Claimed

A rival spokesperson claimed that numerous of civilians had been lost their lives since the unrest commenced.

"As we speak, the fatality count in Dar es Salaam is about 350 and for another city it is over 200. Including estimates from elsewhere around the country, the final number is nearly 700," the official stated.

The spokesperson noted that the toll could be significantly greater because fatalities could be taking place during a night-time curfew that was imposed from Wednesday.

Other Accounts

• A security insider reportedly claimed there had been reports of exceeding 500 dead, "maybe 700-800 in the whole country."
• Amnesty International reported it had gathered reports that a minimum of 100 civilians had been lost their lives.
• Rival groups asserted their figures had been compiled by a group of activists attending hospitals and medical centers and "tallying the deceased."

Calls for Action

The opposition demanded the government to "stop targeting our demonstrators" and demanded a interim government to facilitate democratic polls.

"End violence. Respect the will of the people which is fair elections," the spokesperson declared.

Government Reaction

Authorities reacted by imposing a curfew. Web outages were also observed, with global monitors reporting it was countrywide.

On Thursday, the army chief condemned the unrest and labeled the protesters "lawbreakers". He stated law enforcement would attempt to contain the situation.

International Reaction

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed it was "deeply concerned" by the fatalities and harm in the protests, noting it had obtained accounts that a minimum of 10 civilians had been lost their lives by law enforcement.

The office stated it had collected credible information of deaths in Dar es Salaam, in a northwestern region and Morogoro, with security forces using gunfire and chemical irritants to disperse protesters.

Legal View

A human rights advocate claimed it was "unacceptable" for law enforcement to resort to arms, adding that the country's president "must refrain from using the law enforcement against the civilians."

"The president must heed the people. The feeling of the country is that there was no fair vote … We are unable to vote for only one option," the lawyer said.