Tanzanian politician Tundu Lissu during his correctional 25th surgery. |
On September 7, 2017, four years down the line, the
Tanzanian lawyer and opposition politician Tundu Lissu survived an
assassination attempt.
Lissu
was heading to his residential house in Dodoma City as a normal routine after
the morning session in Parliament before two gunmen attacked him with an aim of
getting rid of him.
Before
the attack, Lissu said that he had been traced for a couple of days by the
people he knew.
The
gunmen sprayed bullets into his car, and 16 got him, breaking his legs and
arms.
Since
the attack, the lawyer has said that how he survived the nightmare is a
miracle.
Following
the attack, Lissu was flown to Kenya where he received medical treatment at the
Nairobi Hospital before seeking further treatment in Belgium.
Lissu
has undergone 25 surgeries, out of which 16 were performed in Kenya.
“Sixteen
surgeries were done in Nairobi, and eight in Belgium. My body is a full map of
scars of bullets and surgical knives,” he said.
While
recalling the attack on Tuesday, Lissu said in a video that he was about to
undergo the 26th surgery, but doctors advised him not to since it might
negatively affect him.
“The
doctors said no. That they will not undertake any surgery since it might cause
more troubles to my body than the way it is,” Lissu said.
During
the attack, Lissu was serving as a Member of Parliament for Singida East, and
also served as the opposition’s chief whip.
He
was a great critic of the late President John Magufuli’s administration and
criticised it for swindling the taxpayers’ money.
Lissu
had been arrested several times in 2017 and accused of insulting the president.
However,
the arrests did not stop him from his watchdog’s role.
In the same year, Lissu expressed his interest in the presidency using the opposition party CHADEMA.
After
the attack, Lissu sought asylum in Belgium but continued with his calls for the
respect of human rights in Tanzania.
Following
the interest for the top seat, Lissu returned to Tanzania in 2020 when Chadema
announced him the flag-bearer.
He
returned home to campaign ahead of the October 2020 elections, which was won by
Magufuli of Chama Cha Mapinduzi CCM.
However,
Lissu and the opposition party dismissed the results, claiming that there were
numerous cases of rigging.
After
losing, he returned to Belgium and has not stepped in Tanzania since then, and
did not attend the burial of Magufuli.
He
has also written to President Samia Suluhu who took over from Magufuli to
inquire and make public the name of the people who were behind his attempted
murder.
Lissu
said that nothing has been done to apprehend those who were behind his life
attempt, which he said is the hindrance to his return to home.
In June this year, Lissu said that he tried to reach the president through her secretary Juma Mkomi to address the issues of the country, but he has not received feedback from the president.
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