The National Unity Platform (NUP) Principal Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu aka Bobi Wine, has called on the international community to place sanctions against President Yoweri Museveni and the First son and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba over alleged gross human rights abuses in the country.
While addressing delegates at the 2026 Geneva Summit for human rights and democracy in Switzerland via video, Bobi wine condemned the international community for paying a blind eye to several alleged human rights abuses that occurred during and after the recent national polls before asking it to intervene with sanctions against the two and members of other government entities.
Bobi Wine who accused the international community of being complacent with the violence during the campaigns and elections, warned that without an intervention, things may become worse for Ugandans.
“Museveni and his son’s military will massacre many more innocent Ugandans. You, ladies and gentlemen, in the Western world, will be forced to grapple with millions of Ugandan refugees pouring into your countries. Maybe then the international community will come and commiserate with the people of Uganda, just like they did after the genocide in Rwanda, but it was too late” he said.
Bobi Wine further urged members of the international community to stand by the democratic and human rights values they profess through placing targeted sanctions, as well as financial and legal pressures.
“Ugandans are not seeking no pity. Ugandans are only seeking to see the world take action against the individuals that have violated their rights for far too long. Those that have abused democracy with impunity should be the starting point, please sanction these individuals, sanction General Museveni, sanction General Muhoozi” he said.
Bobi Wine added, “Sanction all the police and military officers that are responsible for gross human rights violations, sanction those commanders, the judicial officers that have aided criminality through deliberately misinterpreting the law, obscuring it. Those that normalise the electoral fraud, those that remand imprisoned suspects that should actually be sent to hospital. Sanction these individuals because their combined efforts in the last election effectively gave autocracy a blank check on the rule of the people of Uganda for five years” he said.
In his message, Bobi wine alleged that the inaction of the international community has led to human rights violations in the country being seen as acceptable in the region, which must be stopped before it is exploited, further urging them to terminate any forms of cooperation with Uganda.
“We ask the international community not to recognise Museveni’s regime because it is not legitimate, please terminate any forms of cooperation with this government because he is not legitimate. On our end, as the people of Uganda, we are committed to non-violent means of changing our country. Non-violent means of putting an end to this 40 year old dictatorship and you can be sure that the people of Uganda will, sooner or later, free themselves because oppressed people cannot stay oppressed forever” he said.
Bobi Wine who remains in hiding after escaping the first January 16 night raid on his Magere home, noted that he would resurface back in the public at the right time.
The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is a major conference that shines a spotlight on urgent human rights situations that require global attention.
It provides human rights heroes, activists and former political prisoners with a unique platform to testify about their personal struggles for democracy and freedom, while building an international community to take on dictatorships.
The Summit is held around the main annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, when foreign ministers gather in Geneva, to force critical issues onto the international agenda.
