Tanzanians Are Tired of Living in Fear of Magufuli, so Tundu Lissu is Standing Up to Challenge Him

Podcast – special edition. Ever since he returned to Tanzania three weeks, opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu has been confronted by one obstacle or threat after another. The day he landed at Dar es Salaam international airport, the police attempted to block any media or groups from gathering to welcome him. It didn’t work. Unknown […]

Open Letter to the Tanzania Police Force Regarding Attacks against Tundu Lissu

Today Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners LLP has published an open letter addressed to the Tanzanian Police Force regarding the situation of his client, the opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu. In the letter, Amsterdam writes: “we strongly demand that as a presidential candidate, Mr. Lissu is afforded the same security and protective measures ensured […]

Departures Podcast with Elizabeth Shackelford

As a career foreign service officer, Elizabeth Shackelford was seen as a rising star in the US State Department, a recipient of the Barbara Watson Award for Consular Excellence. But in 2017 she resigned from public service, publishing a stinging indictment of a letter which brought to light the extraordinary mismanagement and strategic drift under […]

Tanzanian Police Use Repressive Tactics in Attempt to Silence Homecoming of Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu, says Robert Amsterdam

The following press release was distributed to media today: Ahead of the return of opposition leader Tundu Lissu to Tanzania scheduled for tomorrow, the Tanzanian Police have circulated a statement to media warning citizens not to attend the homecoming at the Dar es Salaam airport. Based on the pretext of the mourning period for the […]

Robert Amsterdam Issues Open Letter Warning Tanzanian Officials Ahead of Tundu Lissu’s Return

In the letter, Mr. Amsterdam writes that he is “profoundly and urgently concerned for the safety and security” of Mr. Lissu, and that his firm intends to “hold accountable all public servants in the current administration of the Government of Tanzania with regard to the human rights, civil rights, and physical safety of the opposition leader.”

Departures Podcast with John Campbell

For many years, Africa’s natural resource wealth, young population, and vibrant societies have raised many hopes for a rapid emergence on the world’s stage – but the development of these opportunities has often slow and uneven. So what is holding the region back? John Campbell, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Senior Fellow at the […]

Tundu Lissu Launches Campaign for President of Tanzania

This week the former opposition lawmaker Tundu Lissu, who survived a violent assassination attempt just three years ago, has announced his bid to campaign for the presidency of the Republic of Tanzania. Mr. Lissu, who is a client of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, will contest against the incumbent Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) President John Magufuli, […]

Departures Podcast with Jeffrey Smith

There are a lot of pundits out there declaring democracy promotion to be dead on arrival in the Trump era. But there’s still an important community of activists fighting for the cause against the odds and even winning. “Democracy matters and democratic leadership matters, even in the face of a fast-moving crisis like the coronavirus,” […]

What the Pandemic is Revealing about Public Health Spending in Africa

While the COVID-19 pandemic has rampaged through the United States, thus far, the far more vulnerable countries in sub-Saharan Africa have largely been spared the worst of the impact. From as early as February 2020, scientists in Asia, Europe and North America began to voice confusion as to why Africa had so far been relatively […]

It’s Time for Abu Dhabi to Stop Their Disastrous Intervention in Libya

While the pandemic and the collapse of oil prices as well as the post-coronavirus economic crisis concerns hit the headlines, the devastating conflicts in the Middle Eastern countries do not abate, such as Libya. Despite these challenges, global and regional powers are still committed to their role in this geopolitically strategic game. Washington’s approach to […]