Tanzanian opposition official dead after acid attack

Tanzania's most prominent opposition party says an official who went missing last week has been found dead with signs of beatings and acid poured on his face.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has loosened past restrictions on the opposition in the East African nation, quickly condemned the killing in a statement posted on X and said her administration does not condone such acts.

Armed men abducted Ali Kibao, a secretariat member of the CHADEMA party, from a bus travelling from the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam to the port city of Tanga, on Friday. His body was found on Saturday, opposition leader Freeman Mbowe said late Sunday.

Mbowe said an autopsy would be done on Monday and urged the president to form a commission to investigate Kibao’s death. The president in her statement said she has asked investigating agencies for an in-depth report.

The opposition wants an independent investigation.

“It is impossible for the same police who are the suspects to investigate this matter,” Mbowe told mourners on Monday.

Acid attacks are unusual in Tanzania, where some opposition figures in the past have been physically assaulted or even shot.

Mbowe and other opposition figures in recent days have been detained and released without charge as they planned a political rally — an act banned by the previous administration in Tanzania but later allowed by Hassan.

Tanzania is expected to hold its next presidential election next year.