‘Over 500’ killed as Tanzania election protests enter third day

Protests over Tanzania’s disputed presidential election have entered the third day, with reports indicating hundreds of people may have been killed.

Protests began to build up in the East African country on Wednesday after the election, prompting authorities to restrict internet access and declare a curfew in Dar es Salaam, the capital city.

On Thursday, the electoral body announced that President Samia Hassan had taken an early lead, garnering 96.99 percent of the votes in eight out of 272 constituencies tallied.

The announcement threw the country into deeper turmoil as citizens took to the streets to protest alleged irregularities.

In a Friday report, a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Other reports say the death toll is as high as over 700.

Jacob Mkunda, Tanzanian chief of defence, warned citizens to end the unrest.

“Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals, and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately,” Mkunda said on Thursday, adding that the army had “controlled the situation”.

Journalists and human rights groups have not been able to check the reports of deaths because of the internet shutdown.

TheCable has also been unable to contact journalists in the country to ascertain the situation.

Reuters reported a heavy military and police presence in the streets of Dar es Salaam.