Tanzania is experiencing a wave of repression that echoes the country’s darker days, with several Government critics reported missing in recent months.
On September 8, Ali Mohamed Kibao, a member of the opposition Chadema party’s national secretariat, was found dead after being abducted by armed men. This incident, along with the disappearance of Chadema leader Dioniz Kipanya in July 2024 and three other party leaders in Dar-es-Salaam, raises concerns of a return to the oppressive tactics seen under former President John Magufuli.
Current President Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered an investigation into Kibao’s death, but opposition leaders remain skeptical, demanding an independent inquiry. According to the Tanganyika Law Society, at least 83 people have disappeared over the past seven months amid this crackdown.
This surge in repression is occurring ahead of Tanzania’s presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2025, the first since Magufuli’s death.