Police in Tanzania have continued to fire tear gas and gunshots to disperse groups of protesters who returned to the streets days after a general election marred by violent demonstrations.
Protests broke out in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, and other cities during the vote on Wednesday over the exclusion of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two biggest challengers from the presidential race, as well as what demonstrators say is increasing government repression.
Police ordered an overnight curfew in Dar es Salaam, a city of more than seven million people, after government offices and other buildings were set ablaze.
Internet access, disrupted during the election, appeared to be returning intermittently on Thursday.
The state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation began airing the announcement of provisional election results, which showed Hassan winning commanding majorities in various constituencies.
The British government said international flights had been cancelled to and from Dar es Salaam’s airport and that the airport in Arusha and one near Mount Kilimanjaro were closed.
The U.S. Embassy advised its citizens to shelter in place, warning that travelling by road posed significant risks and that many international flights had been cancelled.
Reuters/Oyenike Oyeniyi