Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni has accused international players of repeatedly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries arguing that Uganda is a sovereign state.
In what appeared like a warning against foreign interference during his four-hour-long nation address on Sunday night, Museveni claimed some unnamed foreign countries were determined to influence Uganda’s politics by channeling assistance to the opposition through Civil Society Organizations – CSOs.
Museveni noted that NGOs funded by foreign Governments, on the African continent give money to opposition players as well as advise and lie on their behalf. “These foreigners may think that Africans are weak and foolish,” Museveni said.
According to Museveni, external forces cannot claim to have more knowledge and solutions to challenges affecting countries such as Uganda, saying this would lead to mistakes as have already been made in Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Cambodia and Afghanistan.
Museveni also said he would enact the sovereign act under 1995 Constitution, which provides that the independent of organs of State must go with responsibility and accountability.
Under articles 1 and 2 people are sovereign and exercise their sovereignty through the Constitution, which is Supreme Law of Uganda and has a binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the country.
Museveni accused CSOs hiding under the sovereignty act to fund citizens against his government. He hailed the Americans for ‘harassing’ their president Donald Trump on his alleged connection with the Russians.
Museveni has repeatedly accused NGOs for their alleged involvement in funding demonstrations across the country. He claimed that during the recent demonstration, some parties youths Shillings 100,000 each to burn Kampala but they were stopped by security.
The recent violence broke out in response to the alleged arrest and torture of the Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zake and his Kyadondo East counterpart, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine during the last campaigns of the Arua municipality parliamentary by-elections.
The protests drew the attention of the international media and condemnation in various cities across the work. While addressing a press conference in Washington DC last week, Bobi Wine’s lawyer, Robert Amsterdam vowed to press the US government for sanctions against targeted government officials their alleged involvement in torture.
“We want the US government to immediately suspend military funding to the Ugandan government and launch an investigation into how the military equipment supplied to the Ugandan army is being used in the war of terror in torture against Ugandan citizens”.
According to Arthur Larok, the Federation Development Director for ActionAid International, a global movement of people working together to further human rights for all and defeat poverty, targeted sanctions against individuals in Museveni’s government are effective.
He however, said CSOs have reservations on the calls for economic sanctions since they affect citizens largely.
