U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch has condemned the recent surge in abductions across East Africa, warning that it reflects widespread impunity and a decay in governance.

Taking to social media, the Senator explained that abductions undermine a nation's stability and weaken the citizens' confidence in the government's ability to ensure their safety. 

"Rising abductions and torture in East Africa signal more than abuse – they expose state decay and impunity. That’s a direct threat to regional stability, security, and U.S. interests," he posted on X. 

The senator's remarks came amid the deportation of Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire and her Kenyan counterpart, Boniface Mwangi, at the hands of Tanzanian authorities. 

"When I get there, the first order is to take off my clothes. Before I did anything, there was someone who hit me on my back and another who violently took off my clothes. They threw me down and handcuffed me. They tried to put a sweater so the injuries on my hands would have been quite severe," Atuhaire stated following her release. 

"There's one hitting under my feet so badly, the pain was too much and another shoving something in my ... so that is rape, by all standards."

On his part, Boniface Mwangi alleged that he faced 'very dark four days' at the hands of the authorities. 

“I have gone through four very dark days, I have been tortured very badly, I can barely walk,” Mwangi stated shortly after he was found at the Kenya-Tanzania border in Horohoro. 

The incident sparked criticism from human rights bodies and the international community, who called for speedy investigations to uncover the truth. 

The United States government, through its Bureau of African Affairs, called for a probe into the allegations, citing that those responsible should be held to account. 

However, Tanzania's president Samia Suluhu, defiantly urged government officials to protect the country at all costs from 'outsiders' seeking to interfere in their nation's affairs. 

"Kwa sababu ya uzuri na mathubutu ya taifa letu, mnaona yanayo tokea leo ya kwamba watu kutoka kwingine wanataka kuja kuvuruga huku ndani na kazi ya kulinda sio langu peke yangu, wala sio vyomba vya ulinzi na usalama peke yao ni sote, kwa sababu wakikosa huku watapita mawizara, mashirika letu, watataka kuingia kuvurugu. Naomba mkalinde taifa lenu," she said. 

To solve the ongoing tiff between the nations, President William Ruto apologised for any wrongdoing to the neighbouring countries, a gesture that was accepted by the Tanzanian Parliament.