Tanzania's president blames foreigners for deadly protests after disputed election

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DODOMA, Tanzania (AP) — Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday blamed foreigners for last week's deadly protests following a disputed election in which two main opposition candidates were barred from challenging her bid for another term.

A regional African bloc, meanwhile, said the Oct. 29 election had fallen short of its standards for democratic elections.

In her first comments after being sworn in, Hassan acknowledged the “loss of lives” and asserted that “it was not a surprise that those arrested were from other countries,” without giving details. She vowed to unite the country and urged security agencies to ensure that normalcy returns.

Her swearing-in was held on government-owned grounds in the administrative capital of Dodoma, a departure from her previous inauguration at a packed football stadium, as tensions remained high.

It was not clear how many people were killed in the violence around the Oct. 29 election as demonstrators took to the streets of major cities to demand that vote-counting be stopped. The military was deployed to help police quell riots. Internet connectivity has been on and off in the East African nation, disrupting travel and other activities.

Gas stations and grocery shops were still closed Monday in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, with streets nearly empty. In Dodoma, most people stayed home. The government has postponed the reopening of universities, which had been set for Nov. 3.

A spokesman for the U.N. human rights office, Seif Magango, on Friday said there were credible reports of 10 deaths in Dar es Salaam and Shinyanga and Morogoro towns.

The secretary general of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, Charles Kitima, asserted to The Associated Press that “hundreds” of people died, citing reports from communities.

“The president has been sworn in and we hope justice will be served to those who lost their loved ones and that protesters are not targeted,” the Catholic leader said, noting that Tanzania's young people are the most aggrieved.

Observers from a regional bloc Southern African Development Community said in a statement Monday that the Oct. 29 election had fallen short of the bloc’s principles and guidelines for democratic elections, citing the barring of opposition candidates.

The bloc also cited delays in accrediting election observers.

The country's main opposition party, Chadema, has rejected the election results, saying in a statement that they "have no basis in reality.”

Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu has been imprisoned for several months after being charged with treason for calling for electoral reforms that he said were necessary for a free and fair vote. Another opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo Party, was barred from running.

The presidents of Mozambique, Zambia, Burundi and Somalia attended Monday's swearing-in. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema urged Tanzanians to shun violence.

Kenyan President William Ruto in a statement on Monday called for dialogue in Tanzania to maintain stability. The election violence led to a closure of the main border crossing with Kenya at Namanga, where agricultural goods in trucks have been rotting for days.