A member of the public and a police officer were reportedly killed during protests that marred elections in Tanzania on Wednesday, October 29.
In a statement late Wednesday, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, confirmed the deaths while calling for calm.
“Reports that one general member of the public and one police officer have been killed during election day protests across Tanzania are deeply disturbing," Chagutah said.
Adding, "The risk of further escalation is high – we urge the police to exercise restraint and refrain from using unnecessary and excessive force against protesters.”
As Tanzanians headed to the ballot, protests broke out, with frustrated citizens taking to the streets over what they termed a violation of the nation’s democratic laws.
This is after the two main opposition presidential candidates, Tundu Lissu from Chadema and Luhaga Mpina from ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from running for office.
Footage obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed protesters on the streets of Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Tunduma, Tanga, and Mwanza, among other towns. In some of the clips, the protests were violent, as protesters engaged police in running battles.
The protesters were also seen burning mattresses and blocking roads, with a video also showing a police officer being physically assaulted by protesters.
In response to the protests, the Tanzanian government announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Dar es Salaam, with city Regional Commissioner Alfred Chalamila warning that authorities would not take lightly any attempts to disrupt the election process.
Despite warnings, some polling stations were subjected to vandalism as irate youth tore down ballot boxes to express their dissatisfaction with the current regime.
Earlier on Wednesday, internet observer Netblocks confirmed a nationwide disruption to internet connectivity in the East African nation in what has been described as a 'digital blackout'.
Three major service providers in the country were also confirmed to have shut down internet access, sparking widespread concern.
