Tanzania President Orders Probe Into Pre-Election Abductions
(Bloomberg) -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan ordered a probe into the abduction of political figures and government critics before elections in the East African nation.
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The investigation follows the abduction and murder of a senior member of the main opposition Chadema party, Ally Mohamed Kibao.
“I have ordered investigative agencies to quickly bring to me a detailed report on this horrific incident and other similar incidents,” Hassan said in a statement posted on X.
Hassan, a former vice president who came to power in 2021 when President John Magufuli died in office, is seeking to boost voter confidence as the country gears up for local-government elections in November. That vote will provide an indication of the support her ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party will garner in general elections scheduled to take place next year.
Cabinet Reshuffle
Last month, Hassan announced a cabinet reshuffle that included promoting loyalists — including newly appointed Health Minister Jenista Mhagama and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office William Lukuvi — as Hassan prepares a bid to become the CCM’s candidate for president next year. Those changes followed the dismissal in July of two CCM rivals, including the nation’s former intelligence chief, according to Oxford Economics analyst Jervin Naidoo.
Announcing the probe on Sunday, Hassan vowed to uphold democracy and insisted her government would “not tolerate acts of violence against its citizens.”
Opposition leaders said Kibao was abducted in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam on Sept. 6 by suspected armed security officers in plain clothes. His body was recovered dumped in a field late Saturday, with his face disfigured by acid in an apparent attempt to conceal his identity, according to opposition officials.
Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the opposition Chadema party, has called for a judicial inquiry to investigate allegations of the forced disappearance of more than 200 people across the country over the past two years. The Tanganyika Law Society said it would convene a national dialogue to discuss unsolved abductions and murders of civilians.
“We echo the calls of Tanzanian civil society organizations and urge the government of Tanzania to uphold its constitution, and ensure a safe and open political space where all voices are free to participate,” the US Embassy in Tanzania said in a statement on Aug. 14.
(Updates with analyst comment in fifth paragraph)
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