Uganda: Report on Recent Abductions

In Connection with Abuses and Human Rights Violations, Torture, Kidnapping and Killing of the Political Opposition by the Government of Uganda and Its Officials

Compiled by:
BRUCE I. AFRAN
Attorney-at-Law

Counsel for:
Robert Kyagulanyi, MP, a/k/a Bobi Wine, and National Unity Platform (NUP)

Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. [Photo source: Voice of America News]

March 17, 2021

Hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals have disappeared without legal process, forced into a world of secret prisons and safe houses. Reports show that these centers are ill equipped, lack medical care or adequate food supplies and that officers usually have no clear instructions as to the purpose of the detention or the manner in which they are to deal with the detainees. In most cases uniformed security officers or soldiers take individuals in open daylight; often the captors are plain clothes officers and have also been observed to be black-costumed counterintelligence officers.

At least 423 high ranking officials of the NUP are missing in Uganda without any indication of their location or condition. Abductions have been frequently witnessed in the open and recorded by bystanders. The Museveni administration appears to encourage public observation of these takings so as to instill a sense of fear and hopelessness among Ugandans. Indeed, such may be the true purpose of these abductions. Gen. Museveni has recently boasted of these human takings, presumably to inculcate fear in the general population and among the political opposition. It is believed that up to 3,000 Ugandans have disappeared in recent months. One witness depicted in this report stated that he was imprisoned with 1,000 other detainees, a demonstration of the scale of the abductions.

This pattern has persisted since at least November 2020 and accelerated in the immediate aftermath of the January 14, 2021 election that was itself preceded by the fanning out of 2 the military in all cities and towns of Uganda. A military presence facilitates the abductions as there is little or no civil authority being exercised in Uganda. Upon inquiry the civil police repeatedly refer inquiries to the Special Forces or other military organizations and claim they have no knowledge of such activities.

Abduction and kidnapping of Ugandans is directed and controlled by the military. On March 4, 2021 Uganda’s Minister for Internal Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, told Uganda’s Parliament that 177 persons were in detention on military charges and were being held in military custody. Gen. Odongo’s statement is confirmation that the military is supervising the abduction process and has custody of these persons.

The military’s operation of the abduction process reflects Uganda’s descent into a police state since shortly before the January 14, 2021 election. In Uganda today, the civil function is subverted in favor of the military that patrols all towns and cities and maintains power of arrest over civilians who are held in military custody on vague and indeterminate charges such as being “in possession of military stores”. By these stratagems, they are kept out of the civil courts.

Random, arbitrary kidnappings of Ugandans have become common, restoring the PandaGari (“Get in the Truck”) abductions under Idi Amin. The Uganda government has acknowledged the abductions but, following a longstanding pattern, claims they are the work of “overzealous” officers. In our February 4, 2021 report, we discussed that Gen. Musevini, Gen. Tumwine and others have engaged in direct incitement that accounts for such “overzealous” acts. They bear legal responsibility for incitement, as we also identified in the International Criminal Court (ICC) complaint filed in November 2020. The ICC filing will be supplemented to account for additional information since its November filing at The Hague.

The Museveni regime has unleashed the military on its civilian population, effecting a coup throughout the nation. The security services have stated that the military will continue to patrol the nation’s cities and towns and Martin Okoth Ochola, Inspector General of Police has said patrols will continue as long as “threats” exist but he identifies no threats to support such claims. Uganda’s Internal Affairs Minister also stated the patrols will continue but also failed to identify the “threats”. Their comments were recorded by NTV News: https://youtu.be/kvT9UkhE_T4.

As of the date of this report, the military occupation of Uganda’s towns and cities continues, particularly the military teams that follow and monitor the movements of the Hon. Kyagulanyi. Gen. Museveni has acknowledged that he deployed military units in Kampala in response to political protests:

“And in the case of Kampala, we also brought a commando unit, which had distinguished itself in fighting in Somalia. And which had destroyed ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) it was deployed in the Kampala area. And this group quickly defeated the terrorists who had started operating here. They killed a few, who had 3 tried to attack them and arrested scores of those law breakers.”

Read the full report