Tanzania Election Protests: Death Toll Rises to 700, Opposition Party Reports

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — At least 700 people have been killed in three days of protests in Tanzania, according to the main opposition party, as demonstrations against the exclusion of key candidates from the presidential ballot continued for a third day.

The protests erupted on election day, Wednesday, over what demonstrators said was the stifling of the opposition. John Kitoka, a spokesperson for the Chadema opposition party, told The Associated Press that hundreds of people had been killed since then.

“As we speak, the figure for deaths in Dar [es Salaam] is around 350 and for Mwanza it is 200-plus. Added to figures from other places around the country, the overall figure is around 700,” he said.

The toll could be much higher because killings could be happening during a nighttime curfew that was imposed from Wednesday.

Provisional results from Tanzania’s electoral commission showed President Samia Suluhu taking an early lead in the Oct. 29 polls, even as protests persisted over the blocking of opposition leaders from the ballot.

Suluhu is expected to secure a five-year term but with credibility concerns lingering over the elections. International rights groups have criticized the electoral process which has been marred by low voter turnout, a night curfew and internet shutdown as protesters have taken to the streets of major cities.

At least four people have been killed since protests broke out in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and later at the border town of Namanga, with the government shutting down internet access and police declaring a curfew.

Demonstrators are demanding the invalidation of the elections over the months-long detention of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, which kept him off the ballot. Many protestors rallied online on platforms including X Spaces after downloading VPNs to circumvent the shutdown.

The African National Congress on Thursday expressed concern over the situation in Tanzania, saying they had sent a delegation to observe the electoral process.

The ANC said in a statement that the delegation, led by Deputy Secretary General Comrade Nomvula Mokonyane, undertook a visit to Tanzania at the invitation of the sister party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).

The purpose of this visit was to observe the electoral process, following established practices of political exchange and solidarity.