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According to the primary rival party, nearly 700 people have purportedly died during a three-day period of poll-related clashes in the East African nation.

Violence Begins on Polling Day

Uprisings erupted on Wednesday over claims that protesters called the stifling of the rival camp after the exclusion of major hopefuls from the presidential ballot.

Casualty Estimates Reported

An rival representative stated that scores of civilians had been slain since the demonstrations began.

"At present, the death toll in the port city is around 350 and for Mwanza it is over 200. Added to figures from other places around the country, the overall count is about 700," the spokesperson stated.

He noted that the number could be much higher because fatalities may be taking place during a evening restriction that was enforced from Wednesday.

Additional Reports

• A security source supposedly mentioned there had been accounts of exceeding 500 fatalities, "maybe 700-800 in the whole country."
• The human rights organization stated it had gathered reports that no fewer than 100 individuals had been killed.
• Rival groups stated their figures had been collected by a network of supporters going to medical facilities and health clinics and "counting the deceased."

Demands for Action

Rival officials demanded the government to "stop killing our demonstrators" and demanded a transitional administration to pave the way for democratic polls.

"Stop violence. Respect the will of the people which is electoral justice," the official said.

Authorities Reaction

Authorities responded by imposing a lockdown. Online restrictions were also observed, with international observers indicating it was countrywide.

On Thursday, the army chief denounced the unrest and called the demonstrators "lawbreakers". He announced security forces would attempt to contain the situation.

International Response

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated it was "alarmed" by the casualties in the unrest, mentioning it had obtained information that no fewer than 10 people had been killed by law enforcement.

The organization reported it had received trustworthy accounts of fatalities in Dar es Salaam, in Shinyanga and Morogoro, with security forces discharging real bullets and chemical irritants to scatter crowds.

Expert Perspective

A civil rights advocate remarked it was "unreasonable" for security agencies to employ violence, stating that the nation's leader "ought to refrain from deploying the police against the civilians."

"She must listen to the citizens. The sentiment of the country is that there was no fair vote … The people are unable to vote for one candidate," the lawyer said.