Abduction and Murder of Tanzanian Opposition Official Raises Concerns Over Democracy

Abduction and Killing of Opposition Official in Tanzania Sparks Outrage

The shocking abduction and subsequent murder of an opposition official over the weekend in Tanzania have ignited fear and anxiety throughout the nation. Activists express deep concern, suggesting that this incident raises significant doubts about the democratic integrity of the country’s progressive president, especially with elections on the horizon.

Ali Mohamed Kibao, a prominent member of the secretariat for the opposition Chadema party, was reported missing after armed men forcibly removed him from a bus traveling away from Dar es Salaam. His party disclosed that he was handcuffed during the incident on Friday. Tragically, Mr. Kibao’s lifeless body was discovered the following day in the suburbs of the city. An autopsy revealed that he had suffered severe beatings and that acid had been cruelly poured onto his face.

“He was absolutely destroyed. He couldn’t be recognized,” remarked Tundu Lissu, the party’s deputy and a former presidential candidate, in an interview shortly after Mr. Kibao’s burial on Monday. “It was a horrifying death.”

Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, condemned the “terrible” killing of Mr. Kibao, who had switched allegiance from the ruling party to Chadema over a decade ago. His death occurs amidst a disturbing trend of abductions and arrests targeting members of the opposition, raising alarm as Tanzania approaches local elections in December and a general election scheduled for next year.

This apparent clampdown has heightened fears that a government, which initially assumed power with promises of reform, is reverting to the oppressive strategies employed by its predecessors. President Hassan, who made history as Tanzania’s first female leader, had vowed to depart from the autocratic practices of her predecessor upon taking office in 2021.

In an effort to strengthen democratic norms and advocate for women’s empowerment in Africa, President Hassan engaged in discussions with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington in 2022 and again during Harris’s visit to Tanzania last year. However, the recent violence against opposition members raises pressing questions about the future of democracy in Tanzania.