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According to the leading rival party, approximately 700 people have reportedly lost their lives during a three-day period of poll-related demonstrations in the East African nation.

Unrest Erupts on Voting Day

Uprisings commenced on election day over claims that protesters called the suppression of the opposition after the disqualification of key contenders from the election contest.

Casualty Figures Stated

An opposition spokesperson declared that scores of civilians had been slain since the demonstrations began.

"As we speak, the fatality count in Dar es Salaam is nearly 350 and for another city it is over 200. Combined with estimates from elsewhere across the nation, the final number is nearly 700," he remarked.

The spokesperson noted that the number could be significantly greater because deaths could be occurring during a night-time lockdown that was imposed from Wednesday.

Additional Accounts

• A official insider allegedly stated there had been reports of more than 500 dead, "possibly 700-800 in the whole country."
• Amnesty International said it had received reports that at least 100 civilians had been killed.
• The opposition claimed their figures had been collected by a team of activists visiting clinics and health centers and "tallying dead bodies."

Appeals for Intervention

The opposition called for the authorities to "stop harming our demonstrators" and demanded a transitional government to enable free and fair elections.

"End police brutality. Uphold the choice of the citizens which is democratic rights," the spokesperson stated.

Government Response

The government responded by enforcing a lockdown. Web outages were also observed, with international observers stating it was across the nation.

On Thursday, the military leader denounced the unrest and called the demonstrators "criminals". He announced security forces would try to control the situation.

International Response

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was "alarmed" by the fatalities and harm in the unrest, noting it had received reports that no fewer than 10 people had been slain by security forces.

The organization reported it had received trustworthy reports of deaths in Dar es Salaam, in Shinyanga and Morogoro, with security forces using real bullets and teargas to disperse protesters.

Legal Perspective

An human rights attorney stated it was "unjustified" for law enforcement to resort to arms, noting that the country's leader "ought to refrain from sending the law enforcement against the public."

"The president needs to pay attention to the citizens. The feeling of the nation is that there was an unfair process … We are unable to choose only one option," the lawyer stated.