Tanzanian president's husband dies in Zanzibar

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan's husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, died on Monday while being treated in hospital in Zanzibar, Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi said.

Ndejembi said Hafidh Ameir Hassan died early Monday at Mzena Hospital, where he was being treated for a heart condition. He offered condolences in a clip shared on the Tanzanian presidency's X account and said funeral preparations were under way in southern Kizimkazi.

Hafidh Ameir Hassan married Samia Suluhu Hassan in 1978. The couple had four children.

Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is a Tanzanian MP representing a constituency in Zanzibar. One of their sons, Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, has appeared alongside the president despite holding no title, including on a state visit to Russia in June and during a late-August visit to Uganda, where he was received by President Yoweri Museveni.

Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania's leader in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli. She won a national election last year with 98 percent of the vote, in an election criticised by international observers after the deadly repression of protests.