Tanzanian Opposition Leader Killed After Being Abducted, Doused with Acid

A member of Tanzania’s opposition party, Chadema, has been found dead after being abducted, beaten, and doused with acid, party leader Freeman Mbowe announced on Sunday.

Ali Mohamed Kibao, a member of Chadema’s national secretariat, was forced off a bus at gunpoint on Friday by suspected security agents while traveling from Dar es Salaam to the northern port city of Tanga, according to party officials.

His body was discovered in the Ununio waterfront district of Dar es Salaam on Saturday night.

This incident follows the brief detention of Mbowe, his deputy Tundu Lissu, and other Chadema leaders in a mass roundup, raising concerns about shrinking democratic freedoms in Tanzania.

Mbowe told reporters, “The postmortem was conducted in the presence of Chadema lawyers, and it was evident that Kibao had been severely beaten and had acid poured on his face. We cannot continue to see our people disappearing or being killed like this.

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The lives of Chadema leaders are currently in danger.” He also mentioned that other party officials had gone missing but did not provide further details.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her sorrow over Kibao’s murder, offering condolences to his family, friends, and party leaders. She ordered a detailed investigation, stating that such acts of cruelty would not be tolerated under her leadership.

Ali Mohamed Kibao

Kibao, a retired military intelligence officer, had worked with various opposition parties and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) before joining Chadema. He had been a party member since 2008 and was 69 years old, according to Chadema’s communication director, John Mrema.

Tanzanian police are investigating the murder, vowing that those responsible will face justice.

Rights groups have voiced concerns about a crackdown on the opposition, fearing a return to the oppressive policies of former president John Magufuli. Despite President Hassan’s pledges to restore political freedoms and lift restrictions on the opposition and media, including a six-year ban on opposition gatherings, the recent arrests have alarmed critics.

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Amnesty International called the mass arrests in August a “deeply worrying sign” ahead of the local government elections in December 2024 and general elections next year.

Freeman Mbowe himself was arrested in 2021 ahead of a party meeting to demand constitutional reforms but was released in March 2022 after terrorism charges were dropped. Tundu Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 and has been arrested multiple times, returned to Tanzania in 2023 after spending over five years in exile, following President Hassan’s lifting of the opposition ban.

AFP

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