A member of Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema, Ali Mohamed Kibao, has been found dead after being abducted, brutally beaten, and doused with acid, party leader Freeman Mbowe revealed on Sunday. Kibao, who was part of Chadema’s national secretariat, was forcibly removed at gunpoint from a bus while traveling from Dar es Salaam to Tanga on Friday. The suspects, believed to be security agents, abducted him before his body was discovered in the Ununio waterfront district of Dar es Salaam on Saturday night.
This shocking incident follows a mass arrest of Chadema leaders, including Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu, just weeks ago, intensifying concerns about political repression in Tanzania. According to Mbowe, a postmortem witnessed by Chadema’s legal team confirmed Kibao was severely beaten and subjected to an acid attack.
Mbowe condemned the killing, stating, “We cannot allow our people to continue disappearing or being killed like this. The lives of Chadema leaders are currently at risk.” He also indicated that several other party officials had gone missing in recent times.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her sorrow over Kibao’s death and pledged a thorough investigation. “Our country is democratic, and every citizen has the right to live. The government I lead will not tolerate such acts of cruelty,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). President Hassan has promised to receive a detailed report on this incident and similar cases.
Kibao, aged 69, was a retired military intelligence officer and had been a Chadema member since 2008. He had previously worked with other opposition parties and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) before joining Chadema. The police are investigating the incident and have vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
Kibao’s death has raised further alarm about the increasing hostility toward Tanzania’s opposition, despite President Hassan’s earlier commitments to easing restrictions and returning to competitive politics. Human rights organizations fear a potential return to the oppressive policies seen under the late President John Magufuli, especially as the country prepares for local government elections in December 2024 and general elections next year.
