Latest news with #YoweriMuseveni
Globe and Mail
13 hours ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
A place to hide
Shilah, a Ugandan trans woman living in a shelter on the outskirts of Kampala, fears for her safety every day. In Uganda, homophobia is rampant and homosexuality has long been a crime. In the past two years, it has even become punishable by death. 'I am only leaving my house at night. … Otherwise, I am afraid someone might see me and hurt me,' the 25-year-old says. The Globe and Mail is not identifying Shilah or other members of the country's LGBTQ community because of fears for their safety. The persecution of the LGBTQ community in Uganda began in the colonial era, with same-sex relationships described as 'against the order of nature' in the penal code going back to 1902. In 2009, under the growing influence of powerful evangelical movements, an anti-homosexuality bill was introduced in Parliament. Adopted in 2014, the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) banned the 'promotion' of LGBTQ rights and prescribed life imprisonment for 'aggravated acts,' including sexual relations with minors or individuals living with HIV. However, Uganda's Constitutional Court annulled the law a few months later because of procedural irregularities. In May, 2023, after a back-and-forth between Parliament and President Yoweri Museveni, a new version of the AHA was made into law. This time, the death penalty was introduced for 'aggravated acts,' and the new law provides for up to 20 years in prison for the 'promotion of homosexuality.' According to Amnesty International, the law 'flagrantly violates the human rights of LGBTI people.' The personal fallout from the laws is apparent at Shilah's shelter, as most of the residents have lost their jobs because of their sexual orientation. Shilah used to work as a peer educator for opioid users in Uganda's capital, but when debates in Parliament for the AHA bill began, violence against her and her partner escalated in their neighbourhood. She was forced to flee Kampala and struggled to find any landlords willing to rent to her. Eventually, she found refuge in the shelter and turned to sex work to survive. 'I don't mind being a sex worker,' she says, 'but the violence I face on the streets, even from the police, is a burden that's very hard to bear in daily life.' The approval of the AHA in 2023 triggered a new wave of homophobia, with both police and civilians targeting LGBTQ individuals. Accurate numbers of attacks are lacking because the community 'does not report assaults to the police,' says Charity Kusemererwa, founder of the Ugandan NGO Let's Walk, which advocates for LGBTQ rights. Based on the limited data Let's Walk has managed to gather by approaching members of the community, those most at risk of violence are 'transgender people and homosexuals.' However, among other LGBTQ Ugandans, 'no one is safe,' Ms. Kusemererwa warns. In December, 2023, all members of her NGO were arrested by the police. 'They forced us to shut down our premises – but once we were released, we decided to reopen elsewhere,' Ms. Kusemererwa says. Since then, Let's Walk has been operating with utmost discretion in Kampala, fearing further violence. Alex, 22, is also living in a shelter near Kampala. In his hometown in Central Uganda, he was severely beaten in 2023 after being seen with his boyfriend in public. He tried to hide his sexuality from his family, who were openly homophobic. The only person he confided in was his grandmother, who accepted him as he was. However, in August, 2024, she was hospitalized and passed away soon after. When his family discovered his sexuality, his brothers and father assaulted him. As Alex recounts this, he buries his face in his hands. He trembles and apologizes. 'I need to go to the bathroom,' he says. While he collects himself, one of his roommates opens up: 'A few months ago, he started drinking alcohol daily. He's not working and is very depressed – it's heartbreaking.' When Alex returns, he sits down on the floor and continues his story. 'My family blamed me for my grandmother's death,' he says. He picks up his phone and shows the last conversation he had with his brother. The final message from his brother reads: 'I am very disappointed in you. They say it's your fault she died.' Tragically, Alex and Shilah's stories are far from unique. The plight of the LGBTQ community in Uganda is dire, and the survival of shelters like theirs is increasingly under threat every day since the AHA bill passed.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Uganda accused of ‘state bigotry' and attacks on LGBTQ+ people
The Ugandan authorities have 'unleashed abuse', perpetrating widespread discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people in the two years since the world's harshest anti-gay laws were enacted, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The government's policies in Uganda had encouraged attacks and harassment against people and organisations seen as being supportive of gay rights, said researchers from the rights group. Public figures in the east African nation have engaged in virulent homophobic rhetoric and human rights' violations before and since the controversial law was enacted in May 2023. 'Authorities have raided and suspended nongovernmental organisations, conducted arbitrary arrests and detentions, engaged in entrapment via social media and dating apps, and extorted money from LGBT people in exchange for releasing them from police custody,' said the authors of They're Putting Our Lives at Risk: How Uganda's Anti-LGBT Climate Unleashes Abuse, which was released on Monday. It said the state had created an environment allowing 'impunity for attacks' and 'for sexual and other forms of violence against LGBT people'. Uganda's autocratic president, Yoweri Museveni, signed the bill into law in May 2023 amid widespread international outrage. It prescribes the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality', drawing strong condemnation from human right campaigners. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, called the legislation 'shocking and discriminatory'. Researchers interviewed 59 people, including families, rights organisations, activists, journalists and parliamentarians between August 2022 and April 2025. The organisation wrote to several government offices and officials to request information, but none responded. Oryem Nyeko, a senior HRW researcher, said: 'For the last two years, LGBT Ugandans have suffered a range of abuses because of the government's wilful decision to legislate hate against them. 'The Ugandan authorities need to urgently improve this environment, which enables a wide range of human rights violations and puts countless Ugandans at serious risk of abuse,' he said. The Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) reported last July that 667 of the cases handled by its legal aid network in the previous 14 months involved human rights violations affecting 850 LGBTQ+ people. These included evictions, violence and arrests. Clare Byarugaba, a LGBTQ+ rights activist in the capital, Kampala, said: 'The human cost of the draconian anti-homosexuality law is very high, and this new report by HRW provides further evidence of the consequences of Uganda's state sponsored homophobia and transphobia. 'Continued enforcement legitimises discrimination, exclusion and violence. We need protection, not criminalisation,' she said, adding that the bill was unconstitutional and did not reflect the values of a democratic nation. 'We want to live in Uganda as productive citizens without the threat of criminalisation and violence at every waking moment,' she said. 'Our human rights are inherent and have never been up for debate.' Uganda's human rights record continues to deteriorate under Museveni's four-decade-long rule. HRW is calling on the authorities to stop their clampdown and put an end to hate speech. In April last year, Uganda's constitutional court rejected a petition to overturn the bill, upholding its most radical and abusive provisions. Nyeko said: 'The state-sanctioned bigotry and discrimination that has only become more entrenched in Uganda over the past two years has no place in a society that upholds human rights and the rule of law. 'Uganda should end its assault on LGBT people and choose a future of dignity, equality and freedom for all those who live there,' he said.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Uganda suspends military ties with Germany after accusing envoy of 'subversive activities'
Uganda's army has announced the suspension of all military cooperation with Germany after accusing its ambassador, Mathias Schauer, of being involved in "subversive activities" and of being "wholly unqualified" to be in the East African army did not back-up its claim but its decision signals a sharp deterioration in relations between the two nations. Rejecting the accusations, a German foreign ministry spokesperson called them "absurd and without any merit", the Reuters news agency highly unusual attack on Schauer came after he reportedly raised concerns about army chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the president's son, at a meeting last week. On X recently, the general threatened to behead opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Kainerugaba also boasted about torturing Wine's bodyguard after detaining groups have long accused the Ugandan government of targeting the opposition, especially in the run-up to is expected to run against President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for nearly four decades, in an election due next critics allege that the government is run by a family dynasty - his wife, Janet Museveni is the minister of education, and his brother, Gen Salim Saleh, is the chief coordinator of a government programme known as Operation Wealth Saleh held a private meeting with European Union (EU) diplomats last week, where Schauer - Germany's ambassador to Uganda since 2020 - raised concerns about the army chief's controversial tweets, and the "reputational damage" it was causing to Uganda, local media reported. Gen Kainerugaba hit back with a post on Sunday, saying he was "having issues" with the German ambassador "that has to do with him as a person"."He is wholly unqualified to be in Uganda. It has nothing to do with the great German people. Whom I admire a lot," he a separate statement, army spokesman Col Chris Magezi said Uganda was suspending with immediate effect all defence and military cooperation with Germany because of "credible intelligence reports" that Schauer was involved in "subversive activities". "The suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the matter of the Ambassador's involvement with pseudo political-military forces operating in the country against the Ugandan government," the statement added, without giving evidence to substantiate its its website, Germany's embassy in Uganda said that bilateral trade between the two nations was worth around $335m (£247m) in 2024, and their relationship was based on "stability and trust".It did not give details of military cooperation between the two nations. Uganda is heavily involved in peacekeeping operations, including in Somalia where it is helping to fight armed Islamist groups trying to overthrow the government. You may also be interested in: Anger as Uganda president's son says he's holding opposition bodyguardHow a Ugandan opposition leader disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military courtSocial media ban in Uganda raises questions over regulation in AfricaTikToker jailed for 32 months for insulting Uganda's presidentHow an ex-rebel has stayed in power for 35 yearsUgandan internet propaganda network exposed by the BBC Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Ugandan military accuses EU diplomats of engaging in subversive activities
KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan military authorities on Friday accused diplomats from Europe of engaging in subversive activities, in an escalation of tensions over European criticism of human rights violations by Uganda's security forces. Some European diplomats are mobilizing on behalf 'the negative and traitorous groups opposed' to the government of President Yoweri Museveni, the military said in a statement.
The Star
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Uganda holds annual tourism expo to boost arrivals
KAMPALA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The annual Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo, Uganda's premium tourism show, opened here on Wednesday as the East African country strives to boost tourist arrivals. "The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo is one of the most influential regional expos, drawing together tourism stakeholders, business leaders, media, and investors from all corners of the world," Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who represented President Yoweri Museveni, said while opening the three-day event. "It provides a vital platform for the formation of cross-border networks, trade synergies, and investment opportunities that will benefit all participating nations," Nabbanja added. Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Tom Butime said the expo, which is organized by the Uganda Tourism Board, a state agency responsible for tourism promotion, has attracted delegates from market sources in Africa, Britain, the United States, and Asia. "The expo is more than just an event as it connects businesses and promotes the country as a leading tourist destination," Butime said. The event, which has attracted 450 exhibitors from at least 50 countries, is held under the theme "Experience the Heart of Uganda: Lifestyle and Hospitality." The expo will also involve business-to-business sessions, knowledge exchanges, exhibitions, and familiarization trips. Uganda aims to raise annual tourism revenue to about 1.9 billion U.S. dollars and increase inbound tourism revenue per visitor from 1,052 dollars to 1,500 dollars, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. According to the ministry, the country's tourism revenue for the year ending 2023 rose to more than 1 billion dollars, up from about 687,200 million dollars in the year ending 2022. Tourism is one of Uganda's major foreign exchange earners, contributing about 5 percent to the country's gross domestic product, according to data from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
