Opposition says ‘hundreds’ killed in Tanzania post-election protests

The Chadema spokesperson claims it has tallied ‘around 700’ deaths during hospital visits, AFP reports.

Tanzania’s main opposition party has claimed that “around 700” people were killed in protests following this week’s disputed election, the AFP news agency is reporting.

“As we speak, the number of deaths in [Dar-es-Salaam] is around 350 and there are more than 200 in Mwanza,” Chadema party spokesperson John Kitoka told AFP, referring to a city in northern Tanzania. “If we add the figures from other places in the country, we arrive at a total of around 700 deaths.”

Chadema said its members had toured hospitals across the country to reach the figure. AFP reported it had received “a similar toll” from a security source.

The estimated toll contrasted with that of the United Nations. In a Friday briefing, UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango told Geneva reporters “credible sources” had indicated at least 10 deaths at the hands of security forces so far.

“We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters, and to make every effort to de-escalate tensions,” Magango said in the same briefing.