A Tanzanian opposition leader was reportedly abducted Sunday, escalating political tensions following recent controversial local elections.
The ACT Wazalendo party accused security forces of kidnapping Abdul Nondo, head of its youth wing, near a bus station outside Dar es Salaam.
Nondo had returned from Kigoma after overseeing local elections that opposition groups alleged were marred by irregularities.
During the campaign, Nondo accused authorities of orchestrating illegal arrests by falsely claiming their targets were non-Tanzanian citizens.
Mbarala Maharagande, ACT Wazalendo’s deputy secretary for human rights, claimed three men, believed to be security agents, seized Nondo.
“They waited outside the bus terminal, kidnapped him, and drove away,” Maharagande told reporters, citing witness accounts.
Police confirmed Nondo’s forced abduction, saying unidentified individuals used a white Land Cruiser to whisk him away.
Authorities pledged to investigate, but parallels with prior incidents raised alarms among rights groups and activists.
In September, Chadema party leader Ali Mohamed Kibao was found dead after being tortured and doused with acid.
The alleged kidnapping follows local elections where the ruling CCM party secured a landslide victory, despite opposition claims of vote manipulation.
The elections were seen as a key test for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who succeeded John Magufuli in 2021.
While initially praised for easing restrictions, Hassan now faces criticism over renewed repression and attacks on political opponents.
Rights groups accuse her administration of stifling dissent through arrests, abductions, and intimidation of opposition figures.
The political climate in Tanzania remains tense, with growing calls for accountability and adherence to democratic principles.