Police in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam on Friday used tear gas and water canons to disperse more than 200 Muslims who had planned to stage demonstrations across the city.

"The situation is now under control. We will give details later on the arrests and if there are any casualties," said Dar es Salaam police chief Suleiman Kova.

Leaflets had been distributed to various mosques since late Thursday with messages about the demonstrations planned to take place after Friday afternoon prayers.

"We are going to stage demonstrations to protest against the intimidation of Muslims, arrest of our leaders and the torture of hundreds of Muslims by police and state agents," read one of the leaflets seen by an AFP reporter.

The protesters attempted to march towards a local police station but were repelled by security forces. Dozens were injured in an ensuing confrontation and many more arrested. The mid-afternoon fracas led to the closure of businesses in sections of the city.

Just over one third of Tanzania's more than 40 million people are Muslim.