Politics

Ugandan opposition groups call for release of political prisoners

Published

1 year ago

December 23, 2023

Prominent members of Uganda’s main opposition political parties denounced the lack of justice for those who have been detained, kidnapped, or killed due to their political beliefs.

Leaders of the Katonga faction of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), and the Conservative Party (CP) pledged support for the National Unity Platform (NUP) in its pursuit of justice for victims of political persecution during the joint end-of-year prayers held at the NUP headquarters in Kampala.

The victims include the 18 NUP supporters who have gone missing, the inmates detained without charge or trial, and the over 54 people who died in the violent demonstrations on November 18, 2020 against the arrest of NUP presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi.

Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, the leader of ANT, stated during the ceremony that “it is very absurd” that issues pertaining to human rights had been reduced to a purely political matter, with victims being defined by their political party affiliation.

“We want to tell all Ugandans that the issue of human rights violations is not a NUP affair. Human rights violations have been going through a vicious cycle for decades, and it’s up to us to either break this cycle or allow the regime to legalise the abnormal into normal,” he said.

“It is not by accident that we have people who were abducted, arrested, or killed; it is deliberate and part of the dictator’s toolbox. Dictatorial regimes use all the methods to instill fear in the people, strategically to keep themselves in power,” he added.

Uganda is one of the African countries with the longest-serving heads of state; its president, Yoweri Museveni, has been president since January 1986, and opposition voices have been stifled under him. A referendum was held in July 2005 which launched a return to multiparty politics.

Related Topics:Featured President Yoweri Museveni Uganda

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.