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1 1 (June 28, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govembx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congr Wsonal flesear h Se -infirring Ih Ieislivedebate sice191 Updated June 28, 2023 Uganda Uganda is a major recipient of U.S. foreign aid. It has also been a top beneficiary of U.S. security assistance in Africa since the mid-2000s. U.S. officials have characterized the country as an important security partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda has played a leading role in stability and counterterrorism operations in the region, most notably in Somalia, and its role in these operations has often aligned with U.S. regional security goals. Human rights, governance and corruption concerns have complicated the bilateral relationship, however, prompting questions from Congress about its trajectory. Uganda's ties to U.S. global adversaries are also sometimes a source of strain. Politis Uganda has never had a democratic transition of power. President Yoweri Museveni is among the world's longest- serving heads of state. After he seized power in 1986, he wrote, The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people but leaders who want to stay in power. Almost four decades later, he remains in office, supported by the National Resistance Movement (NRM), formed from the rebel group he led in the 1980s. The NRM- dominated parliament abolished presidential term limits in 2005 and removed the constitutional age limit for presidential candidates in 2017, spurring protests and a security crackdown. Opinion surveys have suggested most Ugandans support age and term limits. Museveni, now 78, won a sixth term in January 2021, in polls marked by allegations of security force intimidation and violence, harassment of the opposition, and fraud. Per the official tally, he won over 58% of the vote, his lowest official margin of victory yet. The NRM maintained control of the parliament, but opposition candidates gained ground Musician Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi), 41, came in second with 34%. Elected to parliament in 2017, Wine's People Power movement has harnessed frustration among an increasingly youthful electorate. During an opposition event in 2018, an elite security unit killed his driver, and Wine, among others, was detained and beaten, fueling protests. He was charged with treason and intent to alarm, annoy, or ridicule the president; the case remains pending trial. Wine has since been arrested repeatedly, including in the midst of his presidential campaign. Museveni's son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced in 2022 his interest in succeeding his father as president. He has spurred controversy with provocative tweets, some praising Vladimir Putin. After a 2023 meeting between the presidents of Russia and China, he described the countries as Africa's greatest friends and called the African Union (AU) to join them in any confrontation with the Colonialists! Museveni removed Kainerugaba from his role as army chief in late 2022 after tweets joking about invading Kenya. Museveni has yet to make his views on Kainerugaba's presidential ambitions clear. Figure I. Uganda Kev Facts Source: Data from CIA World Factbook, IMF, and the World Bank. In 2021, U.S. diplomats in Uganda were reportedly targeted with surveillance equipment acquired from an Israeli company, NSO Group, which the U.S. Commerce Department subsequently designated for export controls. It is unclear who was behind the hacking. Human Rights Concerns The State Department's most recent human rights report on Uganda documents restrictions on political rights, widespread torture, and excessive force and extrajudicial killings by security forces; it notes that officers implicated in abuses often enjoy impunity. Human rights groups have criticized the government for failing to hold security personnel accountable for torture (1,100 allegations of torture were reported between 2019 and 2022). Political repression and violence marred the 2021 election period, during which over 1,000 people were detained. Human rights groups allege that government agents continue to abduct opposition supporters. Some victims have reported beatings and torture, others remain missing. Authorities suspended 54 civil society groups after the polls, accusing them of foreign-sponsored interference in Ugandan politics. Civil society actors have been arrested for social media posts criticizing the first family. In the rural northeastern province of Karamoja, increased cattle raiding since 2019 prompted a military crackdown (led by Kainerugaba) and a resulting hunger crisis. The army has arrested over 18,000 people in response to the raids and has been implicated in indiscriminate detention, extortion, torture, and killings there. Threats to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Uganda have drawn international concern. The Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed into law in May 2023, made acts of homosexuality punishable by life in prison and the promotion of homosexuality punishable by up to 20 years in prison. It also created the capital offence of aggravated homosexuality. U.S. officials have called the law deeply troubling and expressed concern about the

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