Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan ordered a probe into abductions of political figures and government critics ahead of upcoming elections in the East African nation.

The investigation follows the abduction and murder of a senior member of the main opposition Chadema party, Ally Mohamed Kibao.

“I have ordered investigative agencies to quickly bring to me a detailed report on this horrific incident and other similar incidents,” Hassan posted on X.

Opposition leaders said Kibao was abducted in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam on Sept. 6 by suspected armed security officers in plain clothes. His body was recovered dumped in a field late Saturday, with his face disfigured by acid in an apparent attempt to conceal his identity, according to opposition officials.

Some opposition leaders accuse President Hassan of backtracking on her reform promises, with the country due to hold a local government vote in November and general elections next year. But Hassan vowed to uphold democracy and insisted her government would “not tolerate acts of violence against its citizens.”

Police detained hundreds of opposition leaders and supporters last month at a banned youth rally in southern Tanzania, saying it was a clampdown against violent protests.

Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe called for a judicial inquiry to investigate allegations of forced disappearances of more than 200 people across the country over the past two years. The Tanganyika Law Society said it would convene a national dialogue to discuss unsolved abductions and murders of civilians.

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