Protests erupt in Dar es Salaam as Tanzania holds contentious election

A voter casts her ballot in Stone Town on Oct. 29 during Tanzania's presidential elections.

Protests have erupted in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, as the country on Wednesday held an election marked by concerns from human rights groups and the detention of opposition members.

Internet connectivity was disrupted across the country shortly after hundreds of protesters in the Kimara and Ubungo neighbourhoods of Dar es Salamm set a rapid transport bus and a gas station ablaze. Local media reported that there were protests in Magomeni, Kinondoni and Tandale neighbourhoods in the city.

The U.S Embassy in Tanzania issued a security alert due to what it called “country-wide” protests in multiple locations.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is seeking a second term, belongs to