Bloody crown: Samia flanked by presidents with tainted records

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan takes the oath of office during her inauguration in Dodoma, on November 3, 2025. [Courtesy

Apart from Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, three other leaders who attended President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s swearing-in ceremony have been criticised for poor records on democracy and governance in their respective countries.

Burundi’s Évariste Ndayishimiye, Mozambique’s Daniel Chapo, and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud have all been accused of undermining democratic processes and suppressing opposition voices.

In Mozambique, protests erupted earlier this year after the country’s highest court upheld the disputed presidential election results, confirming that the ruling Frelimo party’s candidate, Daniel Chapo, had won last October’s poll.

According to Al Jazeera, Chapo was sworn in before about 1,500 supporters, pledging to protect democracy and human rights, even as an NGO reported that more than 300 people were killed in post-election protests over alleged fraud.

Venâncio Mondlane, the runner-up, urged his supporters to protest against what he termed a rigged election. Protesters filled the streets chanting his name, burning tyres, barricading roads, and throwing stones at police, who responded with tear gas. Mondlane later fled into exile, claiming police had threatened and shot two of his aides dead in October last year.

Burundi’s Ndayishimiye rose through the ranks as a militia fighter during the Burundian civil war before joining the army and later serving in various government positions under Pierre Nkurunziza. He became a senior figure in the CNDD-FDD, which drew support largely from the Hutu ethnic community. Ndayishimiye reportedly  oversaw the group’s militia and military activities, earning the nickname “Neva”, said to be derived from the English word “never”.

He later served as a minister in Nkurunziza’s government before succeeding him as president in 2020.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also faced multiple accusations of employing divide-and-rule tactics and fomenting divisions among federal states to remain in power. 

Recently, authorities in Jubaland claimed he instigated the fierce fighting, forcing Jubaland forces to flee and occupy a primary school in Mandera. He also recently struck a deal to start reforms.

But other groups are suspicious about his repeated calls for electoral reforms and political tension is rising ahead of elections in 2026.