Tanzanians expressed hope Tuesday that days of election violence, in which the opposition says hundreds were killed, was over, as police warned that sharing graphic images was a criminal offence.President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the October 29 poll with 98 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said, but 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 difficult.An AFP journalist observed a slow return to normalcy in the economic capital Dar es Salaam, although people remained scared.”I hope violence will not come again,” food vendor Rehema Shehoza, 32, told AFP.Police announced on Monday the lifting of a curfew imposed on election day, and after a near-total transport shutdown, some public buses were seen operating.Long lines formed 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 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 widely 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.But a security source told AFP that images were still being shared online in closed group chats.A 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.The security source also told AFP there were reports of people being summoned, then vanishing.”Morgues are full and a day later they are completely empty. The bodies are nowhere to be found,” they said.A Dar es Salaam resident told Human Rights Watch that 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.As the internet came back online, Tanzanian outlet The Citizen published an apology to readers.”We did not turn our backs on the nation. We just did not have the means to reach you,” it said.- ‘No less than 800’ – The 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 on Monday, Hassan expressed sadness over “incidents of violence that have led to loss of lives”, without giving any further details. She also promised security and defence forces would investigate.African poll observers released an initial report saying they believed Tanzanians could not “express their democratic will”, noting violence in cities across the country.In an interview with AFP, the ex-foreign minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said the government did not know how many people had died.”I’m sure people lost lives,” he said, expressing sadness for those “shot by police” but stressing he believed the demonstrations were “not legal”.When asked if protests were related to the barring of the opposition and spate of abductions and killings of government critics, he responded: “I cannot comment on that one.”
