The United States has imposed sanctions on a senior Tanzanian police official, barring him from entering the country over allegations of torture and sexual violence against two East African human rights activists. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that Washington had "credible information" linking Faustine Jackson Mafwele, a deputy commissioner in Tanzania's national police, to gross human rights violations. It marks the first time a senior official under President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration has faced such a designation.
The case centres on events from May 2025, when Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire travelled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial capital, to show solidarity with detained opposition figure Tundu Lissu, who faces a treason trial carrying a potential death sentence. Shortly after their arrival, the two were detained by Tanzanian security forces. Both allege they were held incommunicado for several days, subjected to torture and sexual assault, and then abandoned near their respective country's borders. Tanzanian police dismissed their accounts at the time as "opinion" and "hearsay".
Atuhaire, who received a US International Women of Courage Award in 2024, welcomed the sanctions but stressed they did not go far enough. "He called in thugs and gave the order for them to kidnap us and torture us," she said of Mafwele, adding that he clearly received orders from above and that political officials had "justified" the violence. Tanzanian researcher Nicodemus Minde described Mafwele as a feared figure within the security apparatus, linking him to alleged extrajudicial operations going back to at least 2011, when he led criminal investigations in Arusha, a city in northern Tanzania, during a period of heightened opposition activity.
The sanctions come amid intensifying international scrutiny of Tanzania's human rights record. Just a day before the announcement, US senators had called for a broader reassessment of relations with Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, said the government had not yet received formal notification of the designation, and the government did not respond to requests for comment. Atuhaire expressed frustration at the silence of European governments, saying they had not issued a single statement when she and Mwangi were detained.
Why this matters: The case has drawn renewed attention to the treatment of political opposition and civil society in Tanzania, a country of roughly 65 million people in East Africa. Lissu remains in detention, and critics argue that the targeting of visiting activists signals a widening crackdown. Mwangi, a prominent Kenyan figure who has announced plans to run for the presidency in Kenya's next election, said the incident illustrated the regional risks faced by activists. Analysts note that while the US sanction is largely symbolic in its direct effect, it reflects mounting Western pressure on Dodoma — Tanzania's administrative capital — over accountability and the rule of law.