NAIROBI, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Tanzania’s prime minister urged people to stay at home on Tuesday, when activists have called for protests against the violent suppression of anti-government demonstrations around October elections.
The United Nations has said hundreds of people were likely killed in the protests, which were fuelled by the exclusion of leading opposition candidates. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the presidential poll with nearly 98% of votes.
The government has acknowledged people were killed, without providing its own death toll, but it has rejected allegations that police used excessive force.
After calls circulated last month on social media for protests on December 9, the day mainland Tanzania won its independence from Britain, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba announced there would be no official celebrations this year.
Speaking on Monday in a video posted on the government information centre’s X account, he urged people to stay home, without directly referring to the expected protests.
“The government advises all citizens who will not have an emergency on December 9 to use the day for rest and celebrate it at home, except for those whose work duties require them to be at their work stations,” he said.
The police said on Friday that any demonstration would be illegal since authorities had not received any formal notification from organisers.
Heavy deployments of the police and army were visible on Monday along major roads in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and northern city of Arusha, witnesses said.
Hassan has appointed a commission to investigate election-related violence but has repeatedly denied that security forces acted improperly and accused protesters of seeking to overthrow the government.
The United States said last week it was reviewing its relationship with Tanzania over concerns about violence against civilians as well as religious freedom, free speech and investment barriers.
(Writing by Vincent Mumo NzilaniEditing by George Obulutsa and Peter Graff)
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