Supporters of the Ugandan opposition party based in the United States staged a peaceful protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York over the weekend, urging the international community to verify the excesses of President Yoweri Museveni’s administration.

In Kampala, the government called the demonstrators “busy bodies, … with visa problems, … and justifying” their stay abroad, and said “they are not the first because we have had a lot of people. masquerading as economic refugees in a way that mocks Uganda. and they never had any fruit of their actions ”.

Claims of abuse of rights

Putting on red T-shirts and berets, which are banned in Uganda for the exclusive use of the military police, protesters from the National Unity Platform (NUP) shouted slogans and held up signs with messages denouncing the government.

“Masaka’s life matters, Museveni must be investigated for crimes against humanity,” read one sign, while another read “a government of dictatorship.”

Opposition leader in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga, who was present at the protests, said: “We want the whole world to see the level of injustice, oppression and intimidation in Uganda today.

The protests coincided with the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly and took place a day after President Museveni addressed the assembly.

“Uganda reaffirms its commitment to fully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as we embark on a decade of action and deliverable development,” Mr. Museveni to world leaders.

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define a vision for global progress based on international human rights standards and equality focused on economic and social rights as well as civil, political and social rights. cultural.

The protesters accused the Museveni administration of violations of democratic and human rights.

“We want to show the world the injustices that are happening in Uganda. The world should know that gross human rights violations are being committed in Uganda by the regime and its security agencies, ” said Joel Semakula, NUP coordinator in California.

The protesters were from the NUP, a party led by Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine. Mr. Kyagulanyi’s brother, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, better known as President Nyanzi, as well as Mityana Township MP Francis Zaake were in New York.

Some of the protesters flew to New York from California and Seattle Washington.

The state reacts

In a reply, the executive director of the Uganda Media Center, Ofwono Opondo, said: “We don’t need to be told by anyone outside that abuse of rights is something. wrong. It’s the [ruling] Group of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) which made a Constitution and laws ”.

“[In August] President Museveni himself, without being coerced by anyone, came out and condemned the violation of human rights within the security agencies and pledged to punish anyone involved in the acts, ”he said. .

The demonstrators, according to Mr. Opondo, are “lazy and idle people of the diaspora who have failed to come back and develop their country.”