Saturday, January 24,
2026 - Senator Jim Risch, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, has urged President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Ugandan
military leader, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, following reports of severe
violence during Uganda’s recently concluded 2026 General Elections.
In a statement issued on Friday, Risch called for a
comprehensive reassessment of U.S.-Uganda security cooperation, citing what he
described as rapidly deteriorating human rights conditions under President
Yoweri Museveni’s administration.
The Senator’s remarks came just hours before opposition
leader, Bobi Wine, reported a violent raid on his home.
Wine stated that masked, armed soldiers stormed his
residence around midnight, assaulting family members and isolating his wife,
Barbie Kyagulanyi. He said the intentions of the attackers remained unclear.
The diplomatic pressure follows the Electoral Commission’s
announcement declaring President Museveni the winner with 7.9 million votes,
securing a contentious seventh term.
His main challenger, Bobi Wine, received 2.7 million votes
and has rejected the results, alleging widespread fraud and intimidation.
Concerns have intensified after General Muhoozi publicly
claimed responsibility for killing 22 supporters of the National Unity Platform
(NUP), labeling them terrorists.
In inflammatory online posts, he threatened further
violence, including direct threats against Bobi Wine.
Senator Risch condemned the election as a “hollow exercise”
designed to legitimize Museveni’s four decades in power, drawing parallels with
recent democratic backsliding in Tanzania.
He criticized the Ugandan Government for employing political
violence, abductions, intimidation and misuse of state resources to maintain
control.
The election period was marked by the arrest of more than
2,000 people and a nationwide internet shutdown on January 13th,
which hindered independent verification of results.
Technical failures in biometric voter systems also forced
manual voting, raising further questions about credibility.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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