The United Nations urged Tanzania on Friday to stop using unnecessary force against protesters after the main opposition party claimed 700 people died in three days of post-election demonstrations.
The UN human rights office said it received credible reports of deaths in Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga and Morogoro, with security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds protesting Wednesday’s disputed elections.
“We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania,” UN human rights spokesman Seif Magango told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Nairobi.
Tanzania’s Chadema opposition party told Report Focus News it counted “around 700” deaths after visiting hospitals nationwide. The figure could not be independently verified.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan ran virtually unopposed after authorities jailed or disqualified main challengers including Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges.
The electoral commission barred Chadema in April for refusing to sign an electoral code. ACT-Wazalendo candidate Luhaga Mpina was also disqualified following an attorney general objection.
Wednesday’s vote descended into chaos as protesters torched polling stations and attacked police in Dar es Salaam and other cities. Authorities imposed an internet shutdown and curfew that remained in effect Friday.
“We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters,” Magango said.
The spokesman demanded authorities “promptly reinstate” internet access and investigate all election-related violence.
“Curtailment of communication will only further undermine public trust in the electoral process,” Magango said.
Hassan took office in 2021 after predecessor John Magufuli died. Initial hopes she would ease repression have faded as her government intensified crackdowns on opposition figures, journalists and activists.
The UN documented more than 200 enforced disappearances since 2019. Amnesty International described a “wave of terror” including torture and unlawful killings in the election period.
“All those in arbitrary detention must be immediately and unconditionally released and those held legally must be accorded full due process and fair trial rights,” Magango said.
The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party has never lost an election since Tanzania introduced multiparty democracy in 1995.
Hassan, one of two female heads of state in Africa, initially won praise for easing restrictions after taking power. Critics say she has since adopted her predecessor’s authoritarian tactics.
“We urge the authorities to ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all cases of election-related violence, and to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” Magango said.
