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As per the main opposition party, around 700 people have supposedly lost their lives during 72 hours of poll-related protests in the East African nation.

Violence Breaks Out on Voting Day

Unrest erupted on Wednesday over allegations that protesters described as the suppression of the rival camp after the removal of key contenders from the election contest.

Casualty Figures Claimed

An rival representative claimed that scores of individuals had been lost their lives since the protests commenced.

"At present, the number of deaths in Dar es Salaam is around 350 and for Mwanza it is more than 200. Combined with figures from other places around the country, the final number is nearly 700," the official remarked.

He added that the death count could be significantly greater because killings might be happening during a night-time restriction that was implemented from Wednesday.

Additional Estimates

• A official insider supposedly mentioned there had been reports of exceeding 500 deaths, "maybe 700-800 in the whole country."
• Amnesty International stated it had received data that no fewer than 100 individuals had been killed.
• Rival groups claimed their figures had been gathered by a network of supporters visiting hospitals and health clinics and "counting fatalities."

Appeals for Intervention

The opposition demanded the authorities to "cease targeting our demonstrators" and requested a interim administration to enable democratic elections.

"Stop violence. Uphold the choice of the citizens which is electoral justice," the official declared.

Authorities Reaction

Officials responded by implementing a curfew. Internet disruption were also noted, with international observers reporting it was across the nation.

The following day, the military leader denounced the clashes and labeled the protesters "lawbreakers". The official said authorities would seek to contain the unrest.

International Reaction

The UN human rights office said it was "deeply concerned" by the deaths and injuries in the protests, adding it had received reports that a minimum of 10 people had been killed by law enforcement.

The organization mentioned it had obtained reliable accounts of casualties in the port city, in Shinyanga and Morogoro, with officials firing gunfire and chemical irritants to break up demonstrators.

Legal Perspective

An human rights lawyer stated it was "unreasonable" for security agencies to resort to arms, stating that the country's president "must avoid sending the police against the civilians."

"She must listen to the citizens. The sentiment of the country is that there was no election … We are unable to vote for a single contender," the lawyer stated.