Africa-Press – Uganda. The National Unity Platform (NUP) has criticised the European Union (EU) for what it called complicity through silence on human rights violations in Uganda, urging the bloc to take a firmer stand ahead of the 2026 general elections.
After a private meeting at the party’s headquarters in Makerere Kavule on Monday, NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, accused the Ugandan government of abductions and torture of opposition supporters.
He challenged the EU to publicly denounce these actions rather than maintaining what he described as a “cosy relationship” with those responsible.
“We continue to lose young men and women to illegal detention and torture. The EU must stop dealing with our oppressors as partners in democracy,” Kyagulanyi said, according to a statement released by the party.
The meeting was attended by EU Ambassador to Uganda Jan Sadek and focused on preparations for the upcoming national polls.
Amb Sadek reiterated the EU’s commitment to supporting democratic processes in Uganda and condemned the violence during the recent by-election in Kawempe, which he said undermined public confidence in elections.
“This kind of violence is unacceptable and harms the credibility of electoral institutions,” Sadek noted during his remarks, according to a statement by the EU mission.
The visit was part of the EU delegation’s wider consultations with Uganda’s political actors, having already met with representatives of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The bloc is expected to continue these engagements with other parties and civil society organisations as it builds a long-term electoral observation and support mission ahead of 2026.
NUP has consistently raised alarms over shrinking civic space, arbitrary arrests, and what it calls militarisation of politics in Uganda.
With months left before the country heads to the polls, the party is urging international partners to intensify pressure on the Museveni government to guarantee a level playing field.
“There’s no point in monitoring elections whose outcome is predetermined through violence and repression,” NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said after the meeting.
The EU, which sent observers to Uganda’s controversial 2021 elections but has not sanctioned any Ugandan officials over alleged abuses, remains one of the country’s largest development partners. Critics argue this financial relationship has muted the bloc’s political voice.
Uganda’s government has often dismissed foreign criticism of its human rights record, accusing Western nations of bias and interference.
However, opposition groups maintain that international solidarity is essential in pressuring the regime to reform.
The 2026 elections are expected to be a high-stakes contest, with President Yoweri Museveni likely to seek a seventh term in office amid growing discontent and calls for electoral reforms.
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