On the European Parliament resolution on the East African Crude Oil pipeline,On the Ghetto President Documentary etc, NUP Press conference

President Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert addressed the media, accompanied by several leaders of the National Unity Unity Platform, and highlighted a number of key issues in our country.

On the European Parliament resolution on the East African Crude Oil pipeline

On behalf of the National Unity Platform, Our President welcomed the European Parliament’s Resolution discouraging oil and gas companies from developing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline until the Ugandan government guarantees fundamental human rights for all affected citizens.

The works so far conducted on the pipeline have caused great pain and suffering to indigenous communities especially in Bunyoro region where it originates from. Over 100,000 people have been displaced, often violently, from their ancestral land to pave way for the pipeline. Journalists, environmental activists and community lawyers have been harassed and intimidated for spotlighting issues with the pipeline. Read our detailed statement here.

So, whereas it is important that we leverage our natural resources as a poor country, we believe that no government should pursue ‘development’ at the expense of citizens’ core rights and freedoms. As such, we join the European Parliament in asking TotalEnergies and other partners on the project to withhold their support until the grave concerns about the pipeline are addressed

On the Ghetto President Documentary

At the beginning of this month, Bobi Wine traveled to Venice, Italy to attend the premier of the documentary titled Bobi Wine: Ghetto President‘. The documentary chronicles our trials and tribulations at the hands of the regime since the People Power movement started around 2017. It especially highlights the horrors of the 2021 presidential campaign that ranks among the most violent campaigns ever seen in Uganda. Mr. Museveni invested billions of tax-payers’ money in PR campaigns and paying lobbyists to paint a glossy picture of Uganda to the world. With this film, however, we lift the lid off the evil that Mr. Museveni’s regime is. The documentary will air on the National Geographic channel in a couple of days.

On visiting Ukraine

Together with fellow political leaders from Africa, President Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert traveled to Ukraine after the launch of the Bobi Wine – The people’s President documentary in Venice. They travelled to stand in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine who are successfully staving off the existential threat that a Russian invasion ordered against them by President Putin presents. They also wanted to experience first-hand how life is for people there amidst the invasion. We firmly believe that Ukraine deserves the right to determine its own affairs just like other countries striving to assert their independence. Putin has invested a lot in courting dictators on the African continent such as Museveni to support or at least ignore the invasion of Ukraine because they already have nothing to lose. No wonder that many such countries “abstained” from a vote in which the rest of the world roundly condemned Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. However, that must not blind those who believe in democracy from standing on the right side of history in Russia’s imperialistic war on Ukraine.

President Kyagulanyi also emphasized the plight of the many Ugandans who are currently detained in detention centers in Dubai and other Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar. The precise number of Ugandans detained in these countries remains unknown. Only those found with their Ugandan passports at the time of their arrest were marked as Ugandans in the prison records. However, thousands of Ugandans were arrested and were not found to be in possession of their passports. It is unfortunate that the Ugandan government has failed to account for these as citizens, despite the fact that they constitute the majority.

He also condemned the continued political persecution of our honorable members of Parliament, Allan Ssewanyana and Muhammad Ssegirinya, as well as all other political prisoners detained on false charges. He also mentioned the regime’s new wave of abductions of our supporters. We have recently seen comrades like Motiv Kasagga, Nalubowa Tracy, and many others forcibly disappeared by state machinery, only to reappear in court with fabricated cases. He emphasized these issues, as well as the IPOD’s decision to cease operations in Uganda very soon for well-known reasons.

On the same occasion, we charged new leaders who were approved by our National Executive Committee. These will serve in their respective capacities to move our struggle forward.