Few people know what is going on in Uganda and how Ugandans are struggling
under the harsh reality of a de facto military regime where there is no longer
freedom of speech and even the police force has been militarised.

* *  PLEASE CLICK HERE to find out what you can do  * *
and read on below for more information and links,
including links to all Blog posts with news updates.

While other crises and conflicts in the world are publicised, such as the military coup in Myanmar, Ugandans feel forgotten. But they are crying out for the world to speak out on their behalf because they are unable to protest for themselves due to the security forces who are brutally quashing any dissenting voices.

President Museveni, having changed the constitution twice during his tenure (to remove the limit of terms and the upper age limit), claims he was once again re-elected as President on 14th January 2021, having been President for 35 years. With Uganda having the youngest population in the world, over 80% of Ugandans were born after Museveni invaded Uganda with a rebel army in the early 1980s!  The younger generation (as well as many older people) are desperate for a change from the increasingly despotic military regime.

Although none of the usual international observers were given permits to monitor the election process, there is much evidence that there were many serious irregularities, together with violence and intimidation which has continued since the election. It is extremely unlikely that the result reflects the wishes of the majority of Ugandans.

Thousands of opposition supporters have already “disappeared”, been kidnapped, arrested, beaten, detained in prisons and other non-gazetted places, brought before military courts, tortured and killed for as little as gathering at opposition rallies or saying the wrong thing or posting something on social media – or even wearing a red T-shirt, the colour of the main opposition party. In spite of all the violence against opposition supporters, there is no fighting because Robert Kyagulanyi (aka Bobi Wine, the leader of the opposition National Unity Platform party) has called on his supporters to be law-abiding and never to retaliate with violence, even in the face of so much brutality from the security forces.

The world must wake up to what is going on – for the sake of democracy, freedom of speech and human rights. We owe it to the thousands who have already been abducted, arrested, held in un-gazetted places, tried in Military courts, tortured and killed simply for their associations with the main opposition party, NUP.  May their suffering and deaths not be in vain.

But what can ordinary people around the world do to help Ugandans restore democracy and put an end to the violent oppression they are experiencing? Most of us feel helpless and have little reserve capacity to cope with yet another crisis in the world after all that has been going in our lives and in the world over the past year or so. And yet I am  asking if you will take some simple actions on behalf of the people of Uganda.