RWAKITURA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni has blamed foreign homosexual groups and international actors for a plot to destabilize Uganda, using the allegations to justify a deadly post-election crackdown that has left opposition supporters dead and a Catholic priest behind bars.
Delivering a victory speech Sunday from his Rwakitura residence, the 81-year-old leader defended the killing of suspected attackers by security forces. Museveni maintained that the firm action was necessary to prevent the country from descending into Libya-style chaos following the Jan. 15 election, which extended his nearly 40-year rule.
Museveni distinguished between different factions of the opposition, labeling some as terrorists and traitors who are allegedly working with external interests to manipulate the political process.
The president specifically addressed the arrest of the Rev. Deusdedit Ssekabira, a Catholic priest who went missing in early December. Museveni revealed he personally rejected appeals from religious leaders to release the cleric, claiming Ssekabira was involved with opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, the pop star-turned-politician known as Bobi Wine.
The priest has been held for more than six weeks without being formally charged in court, a move Museveni defended by stating release is only possible if those involved tell the truth and cease their activities.
The address also provided the president’s first detailed account of election-related bloodshed. Museveni confirmed that security forces shot dead seven people in Butambala District, describing them as panga-wielding attackers linked to the National Unity Platform.
However, the opposition painted a far grimmer picture. Outgoing legislator Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi shared footage of his premises riddled with bullet holes and claimed the death toll was higher, accusing security forces of carrying away bodies to cover up the scale of the violence.
The veteran leader, who was declared the winner with 71.65 percent of the vote amid an internet blackout and allegations of fraud, issued a stern warning to those he labeled traitors. He vowed to maintain peace in Uganda by any means necessary, whether through peaceful or unpeaceful methods.
The crackdown comes as other high-profile figures remain in legal limbo. Veteran activist Kizza Besigye has been held for nearly a year on treason-related charges, while other legislators have faced hundreds of days in detention before charges were eventually dropped.
Kyagulanyi has dismissed Museveni’s claims of foreign interference, stating that the president is being fed fake intelligence and expressing pity for the long-serving leader.
