US EditionAhead of election, Uganda’s security forces are accused of using violence against the opposition
Security forces have used tear gas, beatings, and arrests against opposition ahead of Uganda's Jan. 15 vote, targeting leaders, supporters, and civic critics, Amnesty International says.
- Ahead of the election, Ugandan security forces have used force against opposition rallies, with Amnesty International calling it `a brutal campaign of repression`.
- President Yoweri Museveni has ruled since 1986 and seeks a seventh term on Jan. 15, relying increasingly on a security apparatus led by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba to maintain power.
- In recent weeks, Wine says he is followed by over 40 police and military cars, and supports are killed or beaten at rallies, including at least three supporters, he reports.
- Analysts warn the electoral authorities, the police and the army serve the sitting government, enabling offenses to go unpunished, while Museveni dismissed Wine as a foreign agent and police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke denied awareness of incidents.
- Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence six decades ago, and some charge the election is a ritual to keep Museveni in power after six contested terms.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Associated Press News
Ahead of election, Uganda's security forces are accused of using violence against the opposition
Uganda is preparing for a election in an atmosphere of political violence. The leading opposition presidential candidate, Bobi Wine, wears a flak jacket and helmet while campaigning to protect himself from gunfire.
Uganda's security forces illegally targeted opposition rallies, using unjustified and excessive force and arbitrary arrests, and subjected some participants to torture and ill-treatment, Amnesty International said on 5 January 2026. It collected information on events in which members of the security forces fired tear gas at peaceful crowds in Kawempe and Iganga, and sprayed pepper gas and struck people.
A group of independent experts* of the United Nations reminded the Government of Uganda of its obligation to ensure the participation of the population in public affairs without violence and discrimination. A note published in Geneva alerts to “a generalized climate of fear” in the African country, in preparation for the general elections scheduled for 15 January. [...]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
