'Bullet pass through my skull': Tanzania kidnap survivor narrate experience

Warning: Dis article contain details wey fit run di belle of some readers.

Wen dem kidnap Edgar Mwakabela, wey pipo sabi as Sativa on top Tanzanian highway, for di main city in Dar es Salaam, e tok say im bin see death.

Inside one interview wit BBC, e describe how afta kidnapping am on 23 June last year, im captors interrogate am and den travel wit am across di kontri to di remote Katavi region near di Congolese border, more dan 1,000km (600 miles) away.

Sativa tok say dem handcuff, blindfold and brutally beat am, dem also hit am for head back and legs repeatedly wit flat side of cutlass.

"E dey extremely painful."

E tell BBC say pipo wey kidnap am wan know who dey sponsor im activism, and why e dey criticise di ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, wey don dey for power since 1977.

Sativa believe say pipo wey hold am na police officers or oda operatives wey get link to di authorities.

However, di govment deny say dem dey target critics of di state.

Sativa tok say on di fourth day afta dem take am away, di violence continue as im captors transport am to di Katavi National Park, full of dangerous wild animals, and drag am towards one river.

E believe say e dey clear say im captors no get intention to allow am live.

Den, e tok say, one strong voice bin give order from di vehicle behind dem: "Shoot am!"

Dem pull di trigger. One bullet pass through im skull. E scata im jaw.

Sativa captors comot - e tink say dem leave am to die.

As October general election dey draw near, kidnapping don dey more common, mostly targeting anti-government critics and opposition voices.

Every oda week, police or social media posts dey announce missing pesin. Dem neva find some and odas dey reappear wit disturbing accounts of violence or torture – and some, dem dey find dem afta dem don die.

Sativa case offer rare account from one survivor.

Despite say e suffer life-threatening injuries, e regain consciousness and crawl to one road wia wildlife rangers rescue am.

E go require long and specialised treatment, and dem don describe im survival as "extraordinary".

Di police no respond to BBC requests for interview, but for one video statement wey dem release to media houses for June, dia tok-tok pesin, Deputy Commissioner David Misime, tok say dem dey act on information about missing pipo and conduct investigation.

BBC don tok to families of pipo wey dem don report missing and pipo wey don die, and dem don pass information of dia pain ova dia missing loved ones.

For June, UN sabi pipo report saydem don record ova 200 enforced disappearances for di kontri since 2019.

Dem express dia alarm ova di "torture to silence opposition and critics" ahead of di elections, and call on di govment to "immediately" stop am.

Rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, recently accuse di govment say na dem dey behind di arrests, abuse and forceful disappearances.

Di authorities don deny di allegations.

Di police don identify at least one dozen abduction cases since last year, some of dem don resolve, wit many as far back as 2019.

On 18 June, di police announce say investigations don lead to di discovery of some victims wey still dey alive.

Dem add say some cases involve self-stage kidnap, while odas arise from romantic relationships wey no go well, superstitious belief and property fight.

"Di police force urges relatives, friends and di public to remain calm as security forces continue dia investigations to uncover di facts surrounding dis incidents," Deputy Commissioner Misime tok.

Di president don beg di police force to end di troubling incidents of pipo wey dey go missing – one directive many Tanzanians hope say go lead to justice.

In May, dem kidnap activist and opposition politician Mpaluka Nyangali, wey pipo sabi as Mdude from im house for Mbeya, southern Tanzania, im wife and pikin witness di violent incident.

Since den, members of di main opposition Chadema party dey search for am across Mbeya and dem don hold prayer vigils demanding answers from di police.

To date, Mdude wife, Siji Mbugi, neva hear or see her husband.

"I beg for di release of my husband, I believe say police and di authorities dey hold am. Mdude no do anything. E neva steal anything from anybody, I beg for im release. If e get issues den take am to court," she tok.

On 9 July, di High Court for Mbeya dismiss di case she file ova her husband disappearance.

Police tok say investigations dey under way, no arrests or prosecutions in connection wit di incidents don hapun since.

Some activists from oda kontri in di region don also accuse di Tanzanian authorities of targeting dem.

Dem detain and sexually torture Kenyan Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan Agather Atuhaire afta dem arrive for Tanzania on 19 May to observe di trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, wey dey face treason charges.

Mwangi and Atuhaire whereabouts bin dey unknown for several days. Dem abandon both of dem near dia kontris dia borders.

But Jumanne Muliro, di commander of di Dar es Salaam police special zone, tell BBC at di time say dia allegations na "hearsay" and ask dem to present evidence for investigations.

Dia ordeal cast spotlight on di issue of forced disappearances of govment critics, opposition figures and human rights defenders for Tanzania.

Boniface Mwabukusi, di president of di Tanganyika Law Society, tok say many pipo dey afraid to come out and share dia stories ova fear of victimisation.

E tok say no free, independent system fit ensure proper justice.

"If you dey for police custody and di same officers ask you to give statement about your kidnap, you fit really go to dem? You no fit," e tok.

"Most pipo, dey leave am to God. Dem dey fear. Dem tok say if dem pursue di mata, tins go get worse".