Kate Almquist Knopf

Tweets about Africa and things I care about. Formerly @AfricaACSS, @USAIDAfrica. Founding member of the Platform for African Democrats.

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

Democracy in Sudan is a Sudanese, not a Western project. Averting the state’s collapse is a global challenge. The US & Africa must do better to support the Sudanese people with urgently needed aid & effective diplomatic action. My take in @dailymaverick https://t.co/LjCyCtupvX

[Payton Knopf @paytonknopf]

.@khoureld is one of the finest journalists out there. Talent, grit and bravery in spades. I have no doubt she will continue to bring incisive, groundbreaking perspectives on world affairs to us all in the years to come.

[Payton Knopf @paytonknopf]

As the US-led “Quad” attempts to end Sudan’s war from the outside-in, the mutual aid movement is laying the foundations for rebuilding the state from the bottom-up. Support for mutual aid is an investment in Sudan’s present as well as in its future.

@MutualAidSudan

[U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam @usembassytz]

Marekani inathamini ushirikiano wake wa muda mrefu na watu wa Tanzania, ambao umeleta ustawi kwa wananchi wetu na usalama katika kanda hii. Hata hivyo, hatua za hivi karibuni za Serikali ya Tanzania zimezua wasiwasi mkubwa kuhusu mwelekeo wa uhusiano wetu rasmi wa kibalozi. Mustakabali wa uhusiano wetu rasmi wa kibalozi na Serikali ya Tanzania utategemea matendo yake.

Tamko kamili: https://t.co/JXTcEC9TG0

[Platform For African Democrats @PADafr25]

In light of the overwhelming evidence of electoral irregularities, violence, and state-sponsored manipulation during the October 12 election, the Platform for African Democrats calls for the recognition of the legitimate will of the Cameroonian people.
https://t.co/N7lUgyStat

[Friends_of_Tundu_Lissu @FriendsofTundu]

🚨🚨🚨Where is Tundu Lissu? 🚨🚨🚨 His family and lawyers have not had access to him for a week. We demand immediate proof of life from Tundu! @TunduALissu #freetundulissu #WhereIsTundu

[Helen Clark @HelenClarkNZ]

No electoral result reported at 98% is credible. In this case in #Tanzania, key opposition figures were detained, there was pre-election violence, & since the election 100s of people are reported to have been killed by security forces. These are desperate days for Tanzania 🇹🇿.

[UK in Tanzania @UKinTanzania]

Important Statement from the Foreign Ministers of 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇳🇴 expressing concern and calling for restraint in Tanzania - https://t.co/y8fXgOcjT2

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

The Platform for African Democrats renews its call for Tanzanian authorities to cease its repression. “The lengths to which the state has gone to silence voices of peaceful dissent and opposition to the ruling regime belies its pretence of being a democratic, open society.”

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

PAD further calls on authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of CHADEMA Chairman @TunduALissu and Deputy Chairman @HecheJohn, each of whose right to life and liberty is being gravely endangered. PAD calls for their immediate and unconditional release.

[AFET Committee Press @EP_ForeignAff]

Leading MEPs urge all democratic partners to stand firm in defence of democracy and human rights in Tanzania
Joint Statement 👇
https://t.co/HUNVCGrmD1

[davidmcallister @davidmcallister]

Reports of irregularities, obstruction of observers & targeted violence against critical voices have eroded the integrity of this electoral process. All democratic partners must stand firm in the defence of democracy and human rights. Silence is not neutrality - it is complicity.

[davidmcallister @davidmcallister]

@TunduALissu must be released immediately and unconditionally. No election can be credible when the main opposition is silenced, when freedom of assembly and expression are denied, and when independent media are intimidated and censored.

[davidmcallister @davidmcallister]

The arrest and ongoing trial for high treason of opposition leader @TunduALissu - a man whose only “crime” was to demand free and fair elections - exemplifies the collapse of democratic values and judicial independence in #Tanzania

[davidmcallister @davidmcallister]

The fraud did not begin at the ballot box - it has been unfolding for months. Opposition leaders have been harassed and arrested, their parties have been excluded, and the civic space has been systematically dismantled.

[davidmcallister @davidmcallister]

As #Tanzanians went to the polls, the international community watched with deep concern. What should have been a celebration of democracy, instead unfolded in an atmosphere of repression, intimidation, and fear. These elections cannot be regarded as free and fair.

[Tundu Antiphas Lissu @TunduALissu]

Message from Chairman Tundu Lissu

October 26, 2025

“My brothers and sisters,

For several weeks now, I have been placed under total isolation — a state of forced loneliness. The fellow inmates who once shared my cell, all of whom had been sentenced to death, have been removed; I have been left completely alone.

My cell is now fitted with surveillance cameras (CCTV) that record everything I do — even when I relieve myself or change clothes. I no longer have any privacy whatsoever. This is not a matter of security; it is a deliberate act meant to humiliate my human dignity.

I appeal for this matter to be raised loudly and forcefully, because it is a blatant violation of human rights and an offense under the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules), which clearly state that:

• The inherent dignity of every human being must be respected, even when imprisoned (Rule 1);

• Prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement that denies a prisoner communication with others amounts to cruelty and torture (Rules 43 and 44).

It is also a violation of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, Articles 12 and 13, which guarantee the dignity of every person and prohibit torture or degrading treatment.

I am prepared to endure any hardship for the sake of my belief in justice and the freedom of our people. But the humiliation of human dignity can never be acceptable — not for me, nor for anyone who bears the name of a human being.”

Admin

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

PAD further calls on authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of CHADEMA Chairman @TunduALissu and Deputy Chairman @HecheJohn, each of whose right to life and liberty is being gravely endangered. PAD calls for their immediate and unconditional release.

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

On the eve of Tanzania’s general elections, the Platform for African Democrats calls on Tanzanian authorities to cease its repression against pro-democracy leaders, government critics, and private citizens.

[Payton Knopf @paytonknopf]

While much difficult diplomacy remains, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US asserting Sudan will not be governed by either the SAF or the RSF & external military support must end is the most significant (and overdue) diplomatic statement in 2 1/2 years of war. https://t.co/tObXR9jUqI

[International Democracy Union @idualliance]

Today marks 150 days of unjust imprisonment for @TunduALissu, Executive Vice Chair of IDU & Leader of @ChademaTZ2, jailed on fabricated treason charges for demanding reforms. His trial begins Sept 8. As we approach the 8th anniversary of the attempt on his life, we call on the world to condemn Tanzania’s repression, hold it accountable for abuses, and reject sham elections that silence the opposition. Democracy must prevail.
#FreeTunduLissuNow #DemandingReformsIsNotTreasonous

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

https://t.co/3pG8P6n1Vc

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

The Platform for African Democrats continues to call for the release of @TunduALissu from custody, for the High Court to bring the charges against him to trial without further delay, and for Chadema to be permitted to participate in the forthcoming elections.
#FreeTunduALissu

[Kate Almquist Knopf @almquistkate]

@TunduALissu in his own words:

“Treason is punishable by death. The government seeks nothing less than to execute not only a man, but an idea: the idea that Tanzanians deserve free and fair elections, accountable leaders, and a state governed by law, not by presidential whim.”