🇺🇬 Top Ugandan court upholds anti-LGBT law
Uganda's Constitutional Court has upheld the country's anti-homosexuality law, which imposes life imprisonment and the death penalty on those involved in certain same-sex acts.
But the court did weaken the legislation, saying that parts of it violated constitutional rights.
Sections that criminalise behaviour such as allowing gay sex to happen at one’s property, failing to report acts of homosexuality and giving someone a terminal illness through gay sex are to be struck.
"We decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in its entirety, neither will we grant a permanent injunction against its enforcement," lead judge Richard Buteera said.
The petitioners say they will appeal against the ruling.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Uganda's Constitutional Court has upheld the country's anti-homosexuality law, which imposes life imprisonment and the death penalty on those involved in certain same-sex acts.
But the court did weaken the legislation, saying that parts of it violated constitutional rights.
Sections that criminalise behaviour such as allowing gay sex to happen at one’s property, failing to report acts of homosexuality and giving someone a terminal illness through gay sex are to be struck.
"We decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in its entirety, neither will we grant a permanent injunction against its enforcement," lead judge Richard Buteera said.
The petitioners say they will appeal against the ruling.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Uganda captures bomb expert of Islamic State-allied rebel group
Uganda's military has captured a commander of an Islamic State-allied rebel group who is an expert in making improvised explosive devices, or bombs, that the group has used to carry out deadly attacks in the past, the army said on Sunday.
The insurgent, Anywari Al Iraq, a Ugandan, was captured in the jungles of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the rebel group Allied Democratic Forces is based, the military, Uganda People's Defence Forces, said in a statement.
During the operation, nine people including children were also rescued from an area in Ituri province in Congo's east, the military said.
"An assortment of improvised explosive device (IED) making materials were recovered," it said.
The rebel ADF began as an uprising in Uganda but has been based in Congo since the late 1990s. It pledged allegiance to Islamic State in mid-2019 and is accused of killing hundreds of villagers in frequent raids over recent years.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Uganda's military has captured a commander of an Islamic State-allied rebel group who is an expert in making improvised explosive devices, or bombs, that the group has used to carry out deadly attacks in the past, the army said on Sunday.
The insurgent, Anywari Al Iraq, a Ugandan, was captured in the jungles of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the rebel group Allied Democratic Forces is based, the military, Uganda People's Defence Forces, said in a statement.
During the operation, nine people including children were also rescued from an area in Ituri province in Congo's east, the military said.
"An assortment of improvised explosive device (IED) making materials were recovered," it said.
The rebel ADF began as an uprising in Uganda but has been based in Congo since the late 1990s. It pledged allegiance to Islamic State in mid-2019 and is accused of killing hundreds of villagers in frequent raids over recent years.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬🇨🇳 Uganda hit by nationwide blackout for several hours, grid operator says
Uganda suffered a rare nationwide electricity blackout for several hours on last Friday, its state-run power grid operator said, adding that electricity was gradually being restored late in the afternoon.
The grid shutdown happened during the testing a newly completed, Chinese-built $1.5 billion 600 megawatt hydropower plant on the Nile river in the country's north, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) said in a post on X platform.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Uganda suffered a rare nationwide electricity blackout for several hours on last Friday, its state-run power grid operator said, adding that electricity was gradually being restored late in the afternoon.
The grid shutdown happened during the testing a newly completed, Chinese-built $1.5 billion 600 megawatt hydropower plant on the Nile river in the country's north, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) said in a post on X platform.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬🇨🇩Uganda provided support to M23 rebels in Congo, UN report says
The Ugandan army has provided support to the M23 rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a United Nations report seen by Reuters on Monday said, as escalating clashes there fuel fears of a new all-out conflict.
Uganda denied involvement, saying it is cooperating closely with the Congolese government forces. The U.N. has long accused Rwanda of backing the M23, which has repeatedly seized large parts of mineral-rich eastern Congo, allegations Rwanda denied.
Congo has been riven by conflict for decades. Uganda and Rwanda invaded in 1996 and 1998 for what they said was defence against local militia groups. Uganda is still conducting joint operations with Congolese troops against a rebel Ugandan group.
The Tutsi-led M23 rebels have been waging a fresh insurgency in Congo's militia-plagued east since 2022.
Ugandan troops were part of a regional force deployed in November 2022 to monitor a ceasefire with the M23. Congolese authorities called for the force to withdraw last year, saying it was ineffective.
"Since the resurgence of the M23 crisis, Uganda has not prevented the presence of M23 and Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) troops on its territory or passage through it," the U.N. Security Council's Group of Experts said in the report, which was sent to the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee at the end of April and then to members of the Security Council in June.
The U.N. group also said it had obtained evidence confirming active support for M23 by officials from the military and military intelligence, with M23 leaders, including the sanctioned Sultani Makenga, travelling to Uganda for meetings.
#Uganda #DRC
@africaintel
The Ugandan army has provided support to the M23 rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a United Nations report seen by Reuters on Monday said, as escalating clashes there fuel fears of a new all-out conflict.
Uganda denied involvement, saying it is cooperating closely with the Congolese government forces. The U.N. has long accused Rwanda of backing the M23, which has repeatedly seized large parts of mineral-rich eastern Congo, allegations Rwanda denied.
Congo has been riven by conflict for decades. Uganda and Rwanda invaded in 1996 and 1998 for what they said was defence against local militia groups. Uganda is still conducting joint operations with Congolese troops against a rebel Ugandan group.
The Tutsi-led M23 rebels have been waging a fresh insurgency in Congo's militia-plagued east since 2022.
Ugandan troops were part of a regional force deployed in November 2022 to monitor a ceasefire with the M23. Congolese authorities called for the force to withdraw last year, saying it was ineffective.
"Since the resurgence of the M23 crisis, Uganda has not prevented the presence of M23 and Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) troops on its territory or passage through it," the U.N. Security Council's Group of Experts said in the report, which was sent to the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee at the end of April and then to members of the Security Council in June.
The U.N. group also said it had obtained evidence confirming active support for M23 by officials from the military and military intelligence, with M23 leaders, including the sanctioned Sultani Makenga, travelling to Uganda for meetings.
#Uganda #DRC
@africaintel
🇺🇬Ugandan officials have denied a report by a UN panel of experts that accused Kampala of harboring Congolese M23 rebels.
The country respects the borders and territorial integrity of the DRC and conducts cross-border operations only with the consent of Kinshasa, the Ministry of Defense said.
#Uganda #DRC
@africaintel
The country respects the borders and territorial integrity of the DRC and conducts cross-border operations only with the consent of Kinshasa, the Ministry of Defense said.
#Uganda #DRC
@africaintel
🇨🇩🇺🇬🇷🇼Two armies accused of backing DR Congo's feared rebels
Uganda is backing M23 rebels fighting across its border in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN experts say, warning that a rapidly escalating crisis “carried the risk of triggering a wider regional conflict”.
The well-armed M23 is often accused of being a Rwandan proxy force, but the UN experts have put forward evidence to suggest that it also has Uganda’s support.
Uganda has denied the allegations in the UN report that also accuses Rwanda of having up to 4,000 troops in DR Congo fighting alongside the rebels.
In response, Rwanda did not deny the allegation and told that the DR Congo government lacked the political will to resolve the crisis in its mineral-rich east, which has witnessed decades of unrest.
The UN experts said that Rwandan troops were "matching if not surpassing" the number of M23 fighters, thought to be at around 3,000 in mid-April, on Congolese soil.
Rwanda has long been angered by the presence of ethnic Hutu rebels, known as the FDLR, in eastern DR Congo - joint operations in the past have failed to eliminate them.
The group’s leaders are accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.
The Tutsi-led M23 first emerged with great ferocity in 2012, only to be defeated the following year with the help of a multinational force when most of its fighters fled to camps in Rwanda and Uganda.
They began to rearm three years ago and the group now controls swathes of territory in the North Kivu province, where the UN report says M23 has installed a parallel administration.
Three million people are estimated to have fled their homes because of the fighting.
#DRC #Rwanda #Uganda
@africaintel
Uganda is backing M23 rebels fighting across its border in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN experts say, warning that a rapidly escalating crisis “carried the risk of triggering a wider regional conflict”.
The well-armed M23 is often accused of being a Rwandan proxy force, but the UN experts have put forward evidence to suggest that it also has Uganda’s support.
Uganda has denied the allegations in the UN report that also accuses Rwanda of having up to 4,000 troops in DR Congo fighting alongside the rebels.
In response, Rwanda did not deny the allegation and told that the DR Congo government lacked the political will to resolve the crisis in its mineral-rich east, which has witnessed decades of unrest.
The UN experts said that Rwandan troops were "matching if not surpassing" the number of M23 fighters, thought to be at around 3,000 in mid-April, on Congolese soil.
Rwanda has long been angered by the presence of ethnic Hutu rebels, known as the FDLR, in eastern DR Congo - joint operations in the past have failed to eliminate them.
The group’s leaders are accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.
The Tutsi-led M23 first emerged with great ferocity in 2012, only to be defeated the following year with the help of a multinational force when most of its fighters fled to camps in Rwanda and Uganda.
They began to rearm three years ago and the group now controls swathes of territory in the North Kivu province, where the UN report says M23 has installed a parallel administration.
Three million people are estimated to have fled their homes because of the fighting.
#DRC #Rwanda #Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Ugandan TikToker jailed 6 years for insulting president
A 24-year-old Ugandan man has been sentenced to six years in prison for using TikTok to spread hate speech and false information against President Yoweri Museveni and the entire first family.
Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court's Chief Magistrate, Stellah-Maris Amabilisi, delivered the sentence on Wednesday. Edward Awebwa, who ran the account "Save Media Uganda," was arrested for posting a video insulting the president; his wife and his son.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire stated that Awebwa shared videos mocking the president between February and March 2024.
This sentencing is part of a broader campaign by security agencies against people using social media to insult senior government officials.
Awebwa is one of several content creators jailed under the Computer Misuse Act of 2022 for spreading "malicious information" and "hate speech." Human rights activists have challenged this law in the Constitutional Court, calling it repressive.
The Computer Misuse Act defines offensive communication as the "willful and repeated use of electronic communication to disturb or attempt to disturb the peace, quiet, or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication." The offence can result in a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.
#Uganda
@africaintel
A 24-year-old Ugandan man has been sentenced to six years in prison for using TikTok to spread hate speech and false information against President Yoweri Museveni and the entire first family.
Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court's Chief Magistrate, Stellah-Maris Amabilisi, delivered the sentence on Wednesday. Edward Awebwa, who ran the account "Save Media Uganda," was arrested for posting a video insulting the president; his wife and his son.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire stated that Awebwa shared videos mocking the president between February and March 2024.
This sentencing is part of a broader campaign by security agencies against people using social media to insult senior government officials.
Awebwa is one of several content creators jailed under the Computer Misuse Act of 2022 for spreading "malicious information" and "hate speech." Human rights activists have challenged this law in the Constitutional Court, calling it repressive.
The Computer Misuse Act defines offensive communication as the "willful and repeated use of electronic communication to disturb or attempt to disturb the peace, quiet, or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication." The offence can result in a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso bans homosexual unions
Burkina Faso has announced a ban on homosexual acts, making it the latest African state to crack down on same-sex relations despite strong opposition from Western powers. Homosexuality was frowned upon in the socially conservative West African state, but it was never outlawed.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said the junta's cabinet had now approved legislation to make it a punishable offence, but he did not give further details. Burkina Faso's decision to outlaw homosexual relations is part of an overhaul of its marriage laws.
The new legislation, which still needs to be passed by the military-controlled parliament and signed off by junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, only recognises religious and customary marriages.
"Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law," the justice minister was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
Burkina Faso was among 22 out of 54 African states where same-sex relations were not criminalised. Unlike in many former British colonies, it did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws after independence from France in 1960.
Many African states have been taking a tougher stand against the LGBTQ community in recent years. Uganda is among those that have adopted legislation recently to further crack down on the community, despite strong condemnation from local rights groups and Western powers.
In May, its Constitutional Court upheld a tough new anti-gay law that allows for the death penalty to be imposed for “aggravated homosexuality”, which includes having gay sex with someone below the age of 18 or where someone is infected with a life-long illness such as HIV. Activists said they would appeal against the ruling.
The World Bank has halted new loans to President Yoweri Museveni's government while the US has stopped giving Ugandan goods preferential access to its markets, following the adoption of the legislation last year. Mr Museveni defended the legislation as preserving traditional family values, and said Uganda would not allow the West to dictate to it.
The daughter of Cameroon's president drew mixed reaction after she came out as a lesbian last week. Brenda Biya, who lives abroad, said she hoped that her coming out would help change the law banning same-sex relations in the country. Cameroon has been ruled with an iron-hand by her 91-year-old father, Paul Biya, since 1982.
In Ghana, parliament passed a tough new bill in February that imposes a prison sentence of up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+. However, President Nana Akufo-Addo has not signed it into law, saying he will wait for the courts to rule on its constitutionality.
#BurkinaFaso #Ghana #Uganda #Cameroon
@africaintel
Burkina Faso has announced a ban on homosexual acts, making it the latest African state to crack down on same-sex relations despite strong opposition from Western powers. Homosexuality was frowned upon in the socially conservative West African state, but it was never outlawed.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said the junta's cabinet had now approved legislation to make it a punishable offence, but he did not give further details. Burkina Faso's decision to outlaw homosexual relations is part of an overhaul of its marriage laws.
The new legislation, which still needs to be passed by the military-controlled parliament and signed off by junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, only recognises religious and customary marriages.
"Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law," the justice minister was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
Burkina Faso was among 22 out of 54 African states where same-sex relations were not criminalised. Unlike in many former British colonies, it did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws after independence from France in 1960.
Many African states have been taking a tougher stand against the LGBTQ community in recent years. Uganda is among those that have adopted legislation recently to further crack down on the community, despite strong condemnation from local rights groups and Western powers.
In May, its Constitutional Court upheld a tough new anti-gay law that allows for the death penalty to be imposed for “aggravated homosexuality”, which includes having gay sex with someone below the age of 18 or where someone is infected with a life-long illness such as HIV. Activists said they would appeal against the ruling.
The World Bank has halted new loans to President Yoweri Museveni's government while the US has stopped giving Ugandan goods preferential access to its markets, following the adoption of the legislation last year. Mr Museveni defended the legislation as preserving traditional family values, and said Uganda would not allow the West to dictate to it.
The daughter of Cameroon's president drew mixed reaction after she came out as a lesbian last week. Brenda Biya, who lives abroad, said she hoped that her coming out would help change the law banning same-sex relations in the country. Cameroon has been ruled with an iron-hand by her 91-year-old father, Paul Biya, since 1982.
In Ghana, parliament passed a tough new bill in February that imposes a prison sentence of up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+. However, President Nana Akufo-Addo has not signed it into law, saying he will wait for the courts to rule on its constitutionality.
#BurkinaFaso #Ghana #Uganda #Cameroon
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Uganda protest organisers playing with fire, president says
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has warned protesters that they will be "playing with fire" if they press ahead with plans to stage an anti-corruption march to parliament on Tuesday.
Young Ugandans have been organising the march on social media to demand an end to corruption in government.
They have been partly inspired by their counterparts in neighbouring Kenya, who organised mass demonstrations that forced President William Ruto to drop plans to increase taxes. The protests have since morphed into calls for his resignation.
In a televised address, Mr Museveni warned the Ugandan organisers that their planned protest would not be tolerated.
"We are busy producing wealth… and you here want to disturb us. You are playing with fire because we cannot allow you to disturb us," he said.
Mr Museveni is accused by his critics of ruling Uganda with an iron hand since taking power in 1986, but his supporters praise him for maintaining stability in the East African state.
The president also accused some of the protest organisers of "always working with foreigners" to cause chaos in Uganda. He did not elaborate.
Police had earlier announced that they had refused to give permission for the march to take place.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has warned protesters that they will be "playing with fire" if they press ahead with plans to stage an anti-corruption march to parliament on Tuesday.
Young Ugandans have been organising the march on social media to demand an end to corruption in government.
They have been partly inspired by their counterparts in neighbouring Kenya, who organised mass demonstrations that forced President William Ruto to drop plans to increase taxes. The protests have since morphed into calls for his resignation.
In a televised address, Mr Museveni warned the Ugandan organisers that their planned protest would not be tolerated.
"We are busy producing wealth… and you here want to disturb us. You are playing with fire because we cannot allow you to disturb us," he said.
Mr Museveni is accused by his critics of ruling Uganda with an iron hand since taking power in 1986, but his supporters praise him for maintaining stability in the East African state.
The president also accused some of the protest organisers of "always working with foreigners" to cause chaos in Uganda. He did not elaborate.
Police had earlier announced that they had refused to give permission for the march to take place.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Police, troops seal off Ugandan opposition headquarters ahead of protest
Soldiers and police sealed off the headquarters of Uganda's biggest opposition party on Monday in what a police spokesperson called a precautionary move ahead of planned anti-government protests on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform X, National Unity Platform party chief Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, said security personnel had surrounded NUP headquarters in the capital Kampala, barring anyone from entering or exiting.
He showed pictures of military personnel at the premises alongside parked army trucks.
"Ahead of our scheduled press conference this morning, the military and police have raided and surrounded the National Unity Platform offices..." Wine said. "The cowardly regime is so afraid of the people because they know how much they have wronged them!"
Wine, 42, a pop star turned politician, has in recent years emerged as the biggest challenger to veteran President Yoweri Museveni, 79, who has led the East African nation since 1986.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Soldiers and police sealed off the headquarters of Uganda's biggest opposition party on Monday in what a police spokesperson called a precautionary move ahead of planned anti-government protests on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform X, National Unity Platform party chief Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, said security personnel had surrounded NUP headquarters in the capital Kampala, barring anyone from entering or exiting.
He showed pictures of military personnel at the premises alongside parked army trucks.
"Ahead of our scheduled press conference this morning, the military and police have raided and surrounded the National Unity Platform offices..." Wine said. "The cowardly regime is so afraid of the people because they know how much they have wronged them!"
Wine, 42, a pop star turned politician, has in recent years emerged as the biggest challenger to veteran President Yoweri Museveni, 79, who has led the East African nation since 1986.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Ugandan security forces detain young protesters marching in Kampala
Ugandan security forces detained a number of young people on Tuesday in downtown Kampala who were taking part in a banned rally against what the protesters say are rampant corruption and human rights abuses by the country's rulers.
A Reuters witness saw the detentions being made, while a video posted by NTV Uganda on the X social media platform also showed a small group of young people being intercepted and detained by police while they were marching.
The protesters were holding placards and shouting slogans denouncing corruption. One wore a T-shirt bearing the words "Speaker Must Resign".
A police spokesman was not immediately available to say how many people had been detained.
Authorities banned the planned protest, citing intelligence they said showed criminally-minded youths might hijack it in order to loot and vandalise.
Soldiers and police have been deployed around the parliament building and in the centre of the Ugandan capital with the aim of deterring any protesters.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Ugandan security forces detained a number of young people on Tuesday in downtown Kampala who were taking part in a banned rally against what the protesters say are rampant corruption and human rights abuses by the country's rulers.
A Reuters witness saw the detentions being made, while a video posted by NTV Uganda on the X social media platform also showed a small group of young people being intercepted and detained by police while they were marching.
The protesters were holding placards and shouting slogans denouncing corruption. One wore a T-shirt bearing the words "Speaker Must Resign".
A police spokesman was not immediately available to say how many people had been detained.
Authorities banned the planned protest, citing intelligence they said showed criminally-minded youths might hijack it in order to loot and vandalise.
Soldiers and police have been deployed around the parliament building and in the centre of the Ugandan capital with the aim of deterring any protesters.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Anti-Corruption Activists' Press Briefing Raided by Uganda Police
The activists were transported to an unknown destination.
Police had also made scores of arrests during protests in Kampala after the demonstrators defied the government ban by marching to Parliament. The organizers made several demands, including the resignation of Parliament Speaker Anita Among.
President Yoweri Museveni had warned protest organizers that they were "playing with fire", and said the government wouldn't allow anyone to "tramp upon people's properties in the name of protests".
#Uganda
@africaintel
The activists were transported to an unknown destination.
Police had also made scores of arrests during protests in Kampala after the demonstrators defied the government ban by marching to Parliament. The organizers made several demands, including the resignation of Parliament Speaker Anita Among.
President Yoweri Museveni had warned protest organizers that they were "playing with fire", and said the government wouldn't allow anyone to "tramp upon people's properties in the name of protests".
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇬🇧🇺🇬The British bank Standard Chartered is interested in financing the construction of a standard gauge railway in Uganda.
“We are currently working on $1.3 billion worth of projects,” said Sanjay Rugani, chief executive officer of the bank’s Uganda unit.
#UK #Uganda
@africaintel
“We are currently working on $1.3 billion worth of projects,” said Sanjay Rugani, chief executive officer of the bank’s Uganda unit.
#UK #Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Ugandan police say 104 people were arrested in anti-corruption protests
Police in Uganda arrested 104 people during anti-corruption protests this week and almost all of them have been charged with public order offences, a police statement said late on Friday.
The government's response to the street protests drew criticism from rights campaigners and the United States, which said it was "concerned" by the arrests of dozens of protesters who were "peacefully demonstrating".
Young Ugandans took to the streets on Tuesday and Thursday to protest alleged graft by elected leaders in the East African country, drawing inspiration from weeks of youth-led protests in neighbouring Kenya that led the president there to scrap proposed tax hikes.
#Uganda
@africaintel
Police in Uganda arrested 104 people during anti-corruption protests this week and almost all of them have been charged with public order offences, a police statement said late on Friday.
The government's response to the street protests drew criticism from rights campaigners and the United States, which said it was "concerned" by the arrests of dozens of protesters who were "peacefully demonstrating".
Young Ugandans took to the streets on Tuesday and Thursday to protest alleged graft by elected leaders in the East African country, drawing inspiration from weeks of youth-led protests in neighbouring Kenya that led the president there to scrap proposed tax hikes.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬🇰🇪 Uganda court charges 36 opposition supporters with terrorism-related offences
A Ugandan court charged 36 opposition supporters on Monday with terrorism-related offences after they were deported from neighbouring Kenya where they had travelled to attend a training course, court papers seen by Reuters showed.
The 36 people, who are members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), one of Uganda's biggest opposition parties, deny the charges. Their lawyer, Erias Lukwago, told reporters outside the magistrates' court in Kampala the charges were "ridiculous".
The case comes amid protests by young people in both Uganda and Kenya against corruption, high taxes and other grievances.
Kenyan authorities detained and then deported the 36 people after they had travelled to the western Kenyan city of Kisumu on July 23 to take part in a leadership and governance training course, their lawyer and party officials said.
During their detention in Kenya "their properties were confiscated, including computers and phones. They were tortured and several injured," Kiiza Besigye, a key figure in the FDC and a veteran opponent of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said in a post on the X platform on Sunday.
#Uganda #Kenya
@africaintel
A Ugandan court charged 36 opposition supporters on Monday with terrorism-related offences after they were deported from neighbouring Kenya where they had travelled to attend a training course, court papers seen by Reuters showed.
The 36 people, who are members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), one of Uganda's biggest opposition parties, deny the charges. Their lawyer, Erias Lukwago, told reporters outside the magistrates' court in Kampala the charges were "ridiculous".
The case comes amid protests by young people in both Uganda and Kenya against corruption, high taxes and other grievances.
Kenyan authorities detained and then deported the 36 people after they had travelled to the western Kenyan city of Kisumu on July 23 to take part in a leadership and governance training course, their lawyer and party officials said.
During their detention in Kenya "their properties were confiscated, including computers and phones. They were tortured and several injured," Kiiza Besigye, a key figure in the FDC and a veteran opponent of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said in a post on the X platform on Sunday.
#Uganda #Kenya
@africaintel
🇺🇬On the territory of the sanctuary near the city of Mpigi in Uganda, 17 human skulls were discovered buried in metal boxes.
The alleged owner of the sanctuary is on the run as a suspect in a brutal murder, and local residents told that people had previously gathered at the site to worship.
#Uganda
@africaintel
The alleged owner of the sanctuary is on the run as a suspect in a brutal murder, and local residents told that people had previously gathered at the site to worship.
#Uganda
@africaintel
🇨🇩🇺🇬 Congolese police officers flee to Uganda as fighting intensifies
Nearly 100 police officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled to neighbouring Uganda over the weekend as fighting between M23 rebels and the military in Congo's east intensified, a Ugandan military spokesperson said on Monday.
The officers arrived via the Ishasha border crossing in Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda, Major Kiconco Tabaro, a regional spokesperson for the Uganda People's Defence Forces, said.
"They were fleeing fighting by M23 and other militias and the Congo military, there's a lot of violence there and then there's also hunger," Tabaro said.
Over the past four days at least 2,500 more Congolese refugees have arrived in Uganda fleeing the raging violence across the border, he said.
"The main push factor is the intensifying violence and insecurity," Tabaro said, adding that pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children were among the refugees.
#DRCongo #Uganda
@africaintel
Nearly 100 police officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled to neighbouring Uganda over the weekend as fighting between M23 rebels and the military in Congo's east intensified, a Ugandan military spokesperson said on Monday.
The officers arrived via the Ishasha border crossing in Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda, Major Kiconco Tabaro, a regional spokesperson for the Uganda People's Defence Forces, said.
"They were fleeing fighting by M23 and other militias and the Congo military, there's a lot of violence there and then there's also hunger," Tabaro said.
Over the past four days at least 2,500 more Congolese refugees have arrived in Uganda fleeing the raging violence across the border, he said.
"The main push factor is the intensifying violence and insecurity," Tabaro said, adding that pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children were among the refugees.
#DRCongo #Uganda
@africaintel
🇺🇬 Team of developers from Uganda create a Blind Assistant app
A team of developers from Uganda created the Blind Assistant app, which can read texts out loud to help visually impaired students. Many educational institutions in Africa do not have Braille teaching materials, so visually impaired high school students are regularly expelled due to poor academic performance.
According to Uganda's 2014 national census, there are approximately 250,000 visually impaired people in the country, of which about 1,500 are schoolchildren.
#Uganda
@africaintel
A team of developers from Uganda created the Blind Assistant app, which can read texts out loud to help visually impaired students. Many educational institutions in Africa do not have Braille teaching materials, so visually impaired high school students are regularly expelled due to poor academic performance.
According to Uganda's 2014 national census, there are approximately 250,000 visually impaired people in the country, of which about 1,500 are schoolchildren.
#Uganda
@africaintel