In a report published on Thursday, April 30, Amnesty International paints an alarming picture of the situation in Uganda following Yoweri Museveni's re-election for a seventh term. The organization points to a strategy of violence that is "higher and more targeted" than in 2021, almost exclusively aimed at the opposition.

Unprecedented brutality against the NUP

The investigation, supported by numerous testimonies, reveals that the National Unity Platform (NUP) , the main opposition party, is the target of a methodical hunt.

1. A deadly assault: In Butambala, the army stormed the residence of MP Muwanga Kivumbi. The toll: at least seven dead, a number that could rise according to researchers.
2. Local repression: Unlike previous crises, violence is infiltrating homes and political strongholds in a more isolated but more deadly way.

“The level of brutality against the NUP is unprecedented,” says Sikula Oniala, a researcher at Amnesty International.

The digital smokescreen

While Uganda may appear less "unstable" than some of its neighbors, Amnesty International warns that this lull is merely a facade. The government has reportedly refined its control methods.

1. Preventive censorship: By cutting off internet access very early, the authorities limited the circulation of visual evidence.
2. Confinement by fear: Heavy gunfire in some neighborhoods forced residents into silence and isolation, preventing any real-time documentation of abuses.

A persistent climate of terror

Four months after the elections, the crisis is far from over. Many opposition members are still languishing in jail, while the climate of fear prevents NUP supporters from resuming a normal life.

Amnesty's call: The NGO now demands independent investigations and immediate legal proceedings against those responsible for these abuses in order to break the cycle of impunity.