Protests began to build up in the East African country on
Wednesday after the election, prompting authorities to restrict internet access
and declare a curfew in Dar es Salaam, the capital city.

On Thursday, the electoral body announced that President
Samia Hassan had taken an early lead, garnering 96.99 percent of the votes in
eight out of 272 constituencies tallied.

The announcement threw the country into deeper turmoil as
citizens took to the streets to protest alleged irregularities.

In a Friday report, a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the
BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Other reports say the death toll is as high as over 700.

Jacob Mkunda, Tanzanian chief of defence, warned citizens to
end the unrest.

“Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed
criminal acts. These are criminals, and the criminal acts should be stopped
immediately,” Mkunda said on Thursday, adding that the army had “controlled the
situation”.

Journalists and human rights groups have not been able to
check the reports of deaths because of the internet shutdown.

Reuters reported a heavy military and police presence in the
streets of Dar es Salaam.