Tanzanian police have lifted a night-time curfew imposed since last Wednesday in the main city Dar es Salaam following deadly election protests, as life slowly returns to normal across the country.
Following the unrest, the internet was cut nationwide and most shops in Dar es Salaam closed amid acute shortages of basic essentials and soaring prices. Schools shut and public transport came to a halt.
On Tuesday, some shops reopened and traffic resumed but with queues persisting at some petrol stations in Dar es Salaam.
Families continue to search for or bury relatives killed in the clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters who denounced the poll as a sham.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday after being declared the winner of last Wednesday’s election with 98% of the vote.
Observers from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) – a regional bloc which includes Tanzania – said in a preliminary report that the election fell short of democratic standards.
The two main opposition leaders were unable to contest the poll – Tundu Lissu is in detention on treason charges, which he denies, while Luhaga Mpina’s candidacy was rejected on technical grounds.
Internet services are slowly being restored, though social media remains restricted. Police have warned against sharing images from the protests.
Lissu’s Chadema party told the AFP news agency that it had recorded “no less than 800” deaths by Saturday, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
The UN human rights office earlier said there were credible reports of at least 10 deaths in three cities. The government has not given casualty figures.
Chadema now says its deputy chairman John Heche has gone missing after being picked up from a police station in the capital, Dodoma, on Tuesday morning.
The party said Heche’s wife and another party official were told he was being taken to see the regional police commander, but “when they tried to follow them to find out where he was being taken, the vehicles carrying him sped off, leaving them behind”.
“His whereabouts remain unknown, and his family and the party are deeply concerned about his safety and current location,” Chadema added in a statement.
The police have refused to comment and told the BBC to contact the government spokesperson, who has not responded.
On Tuesday, a doctor at Muhimbili Hospital in Dar es Salaam told the BBC that vehicles marked “Municipal Burial Services” had been collecting bodies.
“[They] are getting into the mortuary at night to pick bodies of those believed to have died during protests, they leave and take them to unknown destination,” said the doctor, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.
“Relatives are not being given the bodies and survivors are being taken from emergency department to unknown destination by the police… some even before they recover,” he added.
Earlier, a Tanzanian woman who asked to be identified as Mama Kassim told the BBC that she had not seen her two sons since polling day – and was unable to reach one of them.
“I don’t know where he is, I don’t know whether he has been arrested, I don’t know if he is injured, I don’t know if he is hospitalised, I don’t know if he is dead. Oh God, protect my son. He’s only 21 years old,” she said.
A Kenyan family said it had asked the government to help repatriate the body of a relative, 33-year-old teacher John Okoth Ogutu, who lived in Dar es Salaam.
A teacher at Sky School, he was allegedly shot by police while on his way to buy food at Gaba Centre in the city.
His older sister, Celestine Ogutu, told the BBC he was a loving, hard-working man who hated arguments and would walk away from any confrontation.
“He loved the family. The last time I talked to him was on 22nd September when he was wishing me my birthday, the only family member who remembered my birthday,” she said.
Campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the authorities had responded to the widespread protests following the elections “with lethal force and other abuses”.
It urged the government “to respect rights and ensure that all those responsible for violence are investigated and appropriately prosecuted”.
Amnesty International said it was alarmed by the use of excessive force to suppress protests that had resulted in the deaths and injuries of protesters.
The government has sought to downplay the scale of the violence and has blamed foreign nationals for stoking it.
During her inauguration ceremony, President Samia acknowledged the “loss of lives and destruction of public property”, but added that it was “not surprising” that some of those arrested were foreign nationals.
Samia first came into office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.
She was initially praised for easing political repression under her predecessor, but the political space has since narrowed.
Additional reporting from Elizabeth Ojina and Richard Kagoe.
Source: BBC
