Some Tanzanians were venturing out on Tuesday as restrictions, including a curfew and an internet blackout, were partially lifted after elections erupted into violence that the opposition says has left hundreds dead. The country’s electoral commission said President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the October 29 poll with 98 percent of the vote.
The opposition has declared the election a “sham”. A total internet blackout in place since protests broke out on election day has been partially eased, but verifiable information out of the East African country remains tricky. An AFP journalist observed a slow return to normalcy in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam, on Tuesday, although people remained scared. “I hope violence will not come again,” food vendor Rehema Shehoza, 32, told AFP.
“Some of us would die from hunger because I need to get out for work to get my daily bread,” she said. Police announced on Monday the lifting of a curfew imposed on election day, and after a near-total transport shutdown, some public buses were working. Long lines were seen outside reopening gas stations as prices soared, with private tuk-tuks and motorbikes filling the gaps. AFP also witnessed a continued security presence in the country’s largest city, although notably less than in recent days. The internet appeared to be coming back intermittently, with graphic images reportedly from the protests being shared across social media.
The images could not be independently verified. The police circulated a text message on Monday threatening to punish anyone spreading footage that could create panic or humiliate people online. A diplomatic source said there were credible reports of hundreds — perhaps even thousands — of deaths registered at hospitals and health clinics around Tanzania. Chadema told AFP it had recorded “no less than 800” deaths by Saturday, but none of the figures could be independently verified. During her acceptance speech, Hassan expressed sadness over “incidents of violence that have led to loss of lives”, without giving any further details.
She also promised that security and defence forces would investigate. The diplomatic source said there were “concerning reports” that the police had used the internet blackout to buy time as they “hunt down opposition members and protesters who might have videos” of atrocities committed last week. A Dar es Salaam resident told Human Rights Watch her neighbour was shot dead by a man wearing civilian clothing outside his home on October 30. Communicating by telephone, the woman said her neighbour had not taken part in the protests.
AFP