Nemes Tarimo was recruited from jail to struggle for Russian mercenary group Wagner in alternate for freedom, Stergomena Tax added.
It’s the second confirmed loss of life of an African scholar preventing for Russian forces in simply six months.
The 33-year-old masters scholar was learning enterprise informatics on the Russian Technological College, which he joined in 2020 on a scholarship.
“In keeping with the knowledge shared to us by the federal government of Russia, Tarimo opted to affix the Wagner Group with the promise of receiving cash and to be pardoned after the battle ends,” BBC Africa quoted the minister saying.
His physique is anticipated to reach in Tanzania “any time this week”, the minister added.
“Tarimo opted to affix the Wagner Group with the promise of… [being] pardoned”
Reviews counsel that Tarimo was killed within the jap Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in Donbas – a area seeing heavy preventing within the battle.
Tarimo had been sentenced to seven years in jail for medicine associated fees and had been serving time since final March, reviews indicated.
His household final week stated that they had obtained reviews of his loss of life from associates in Russia, and had watched on-line movies of individuals in army uniforms holding candles over a casket believed to belong to Tarimo.
His sister, Rehema Kigobe, stated the household first obtained information of the loss of life in December – earlier than the Tanzanian embassy in Moscow confirmed to them that he had really died almost two months earlier on the finish of October.
They expressed shock that he had joined the battle, regardless of having no army background.
Information of Tarimo’s loss of life comes simply months after the killing of 23-year-old Zambian scholar Lemekhani Nyirenda, who died final 12 months whereas preventing for Russian forces.
Like Tarimo, he had enlisted with Wagner to flee a nine-year jail time period for a drug offence.
The Zambian was buried on Wednesday within the jap Rufunsa district, six weeks after his physique was returned to Zambia – almost 5 months after his loss of life final September.
