Tanzanian President’s Husband Passes On

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s husband died on Monday while being treated in hospital in Zanzibar, an official said.

Hassan became leader in 2021 after the death of authoritarian John Magufuli and swept a national election last year with 98 per cent, in a vote that was criticised by international observers following the deadly repression of protests.

Hafidh Ameir Hassan, 77, died early on Monday in Mzena Hospital in Zanzibar, “where he was receiving treatment for a heart condition”, according to vice president Deogratius Ndejembi.

In a short clip shared on the Tanzanian presidency’s X account, Ndejembi extended his condolences and added that funeral preparations were under way in southern Kizimkazi.

A private man, Ameir Hassan married the president in 1978. The couple had four children, two of whom are also in the public eye.

Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is a Tanzanian MP representing a constituency in Zanzibar.

Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, one of their three sons, is known to play a significant role alongside his mother despite his lack of a title.

In late August, he was received in Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni, having earlier joined the Tanzanian president on a state visit to Russia in June.

He is accused of overseeing the deadly crackdown around elections in 2025, in which the opposition alleges the police killed more than 2,000 people.

AFP