Police and soldiers deployed in force in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, on Tuesday to try to prevent protests called for by activists to denounce the violent suppression of demonstrations around elections in October.
The government said any protests on Tuesday, the anniversary of mainland Tanzania’s independence from Britain in 1961, would amount to a coup attempt and urged people to stay at home.
Presidential and parliamentary elections on October 29 triggered the worst political violence in Tanzania’s post-independence history.
The United Nations has estimated that hundreds were killed.
The police and army were patrolling major streets in Dar es Salaam and checking the identification of anyone seeking to move around, residents told Reuters.
They said the situation appeared calm as of late morning, although one resident and some
activists on social media said small protests had begun in some parts of the city.
This could not be immediately confirmed. A police Spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
–Reuters–
