标签： Africa

Ugandan authorities have escalated their crackdown on opposition forces following last week’s contentious presidential election, detaining a senior ally of opposition leader Bobi Wine amid allegations of electoral violence. Muwanga Kivumbi, deputy president of Wine’s National Unity Platform party and a sitting lawmaker, was taken into custody Thursday for his purported involvement in deadly clashes within his Butambala constituency that resulted in seven fatalities.

The detained parliamentarian, who recently lost his parliamentary seat, stands accused of instigating violence that prompted security forces to open fire on his residence. Kivumbi emotionally addressed the tragedy during victim funerals, maintaining that those killed were innocent casualties of state-sponsored aggression rather than perpetrators.

President Yoweri Museveni, extending his 35-year rule with a declared 71.6% victory that opposition forces decry as fraudulent, has taken a confrontational stance against dissent. In a nationally televised address, the 81-year-old leader alleged opposition elements attempted to disrupt voting processes, claiming victims in Butambala had assaulted police officers with machetes. Museveni specifically urged religious leaders to intervene with youth he described as vulnerable to political manipulation.

Despite police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke’s assurance that Bobi Wine (legally named Kyagulanyi Ssentamu) faces no current accusations and remains under state protection, the opposition leader reports being in hiding due to safety concerns. The electoral process itself faced widespread criticism following a multi-day internet blackout and technical failures in biometric voting systems that disproportionately affected opposition strongholds including the capital Kampala.

International observers note this election continues Uganda’s six-decade absence of peaceful presidential transitions since independence. Museveni’s forthcoming seventh term will extend his leadership toward a half-century, cementing his dominance over a political landscape where no clear successors have emerged within his National Resistance Movement party.

Military authorities in Guinea-Bissau have officially scheduled presidential and legislative elections for December 6th, marking a critical development in the nation’s turbulent political landscape. The announcement comes despite mounting international pressure for an accelerated transition to civilian governance following last November’s coup that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

Transitional President Horta N’Tam formalized the electoral timeline through a presidential decree on Wednesday after extensive consultations with the National Transitional Council, military representatives, government officials, and electoral commission members. N’Tam publicly affirmed that all necessary conditions for conducting free and fair elections had been satisfactorily established.

The military junta has faced sustained pressure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which previously rejected the junta’s proposed one-year transition framework. The regional bloc had suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making institutions and threatened additional sanctions unless a shorter transitional period was implemented. The international community now awaits ECOWAS’ formal response to the announced December timeline.

The November 2025 power seizure occurred under controversial circumstances, with military leadership justifying their intervention as necessary to prevent alleged destabilization plots during the tense period preceding official presidential election results. Both incumbent President Embaló and primary opposition candidate Fernando Dias had declared victory simultaneously, creating a political impasse that the military cited as justification for their takeover.

Notably, the transitional charter explicitly prohibits interim leader N’Tam and his appointed prime minister from seeking presidential office. However, regional observers remain skeptical given recent patterns across West Africa where military leaders have frequently extended transitional periods and consolidated political power. The international community continues monitoring whether Guinea-Bissau will break this regional trend and facilitate genuine democratic restoration through transparent electoral processes.

Uganda’s recent general election triggered a nationwide internet shutdown with profound consequences for citizens, businesses, and democratic processes. The government-ordered blackout, officially implemented to ‘ensure peace and protect national stability’ during the electoral period, effectively paralyzed the digital economy and restricted information flow throughout the country.

Mobile money agent Mirembe Tracy experienced immediate financial devastation when withdrawal systems disconnected. Her weekly earnings of approximately 450,000 Ugandan shillings (£130) vanished entirely, leaving her unable to pay rent. ‘That money is what I use to pay rent. Losing it was a total loss,’ she told the BBC. Like thousands of others dependent on digital transactions, she found herself with no income source beyond minimal prepaid airtime sales that provide no commission.

The disruption extended throughout Kampala’s economy. SafeBoda, the popular ride-hailing platform for motorcycle taxis, saw its entire server infrastructure rendered inoperative. Co-founders reported that both riders and dependent businesses were forced offline indefinitely. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Namukwaya Olivia, who relies on Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp to market traditional cultural clothing, described complete operational paralysis: ‘We could not send pictures, we could not receive orders, and we could not make deliveries.’

Journalists faced particularly severe challenges in fulfilling their professional duties. Ngabo Amon described smartphones becoming ‘largely useless’ as research, communication, and content transmission capabilities disappeared. The blackout created an information vacuum that prevented accurate election coverage and real-time reporting of developing situations. Some journalists resorted to physically transporting footage by bus from rural areas to Kampala—a process that rendered news obsolete by arrival time.

The African Union election observation mission noted that the shutdown ‘limited access to information, freedom of association and curtailed economic activities,’ while simultaneously ‘creating suspicion and mistrust’ in the electoral process. President Yoweri Museveni’s landslide victory extended his 40-year rule amid opposition allegations of ‘fake results’ and ‘ballot stuffing.’

Beyond economic and professional impacts, the blackout created personal hardships. Kenyan journalist Caroline Mutai described the psychological toll: ‘The shutdown almost gave me depression.’ Students like Aaron Benitez lost educational connectivity as online learning platforms and communication channels failed. ‘We usually study online, sometimes on Zoom, but during that time everything just stopped,’ he reported.

Even after partial restoration following President Museveni’s victory declaration, many social media platforms remain restricted or slow, driving widespread adoption of VPN services. The episode served as a stark demonstration of how deeply digital accessibility underpins modern life, economic stability, and democratic transparency in contemporary Uganda.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a stark assessment of the international system during his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, declaring that the world is experiencing a fundamental rupture rather than a transitional phase. Speaking before U.S. President Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance, Carney characterized the current global environment as one defined by intensifying great power competition and the deterioration of rules-based governance.

The Prime Minister, who entered Canadian politics last year, reiterated his consistent warning that the world cannot return to the pre-Trump era of international relations. While not explicitly naming the American president, Carney’s analysis clearly addressed the transformative impact of Trump’s policies on global affairs.

Carney acknowledged Canada’s historical benefits from American-led hegemony, which previously provided public goods including secure maritime routes, financial stability, collective security frameworks, and dispute resolution mechanisms. However, he emphasized that a new reality has emerged where powerful nations increasingly utilize economic integration as tools of coercion rather than cooperation.

In a particularly striking metaphor, Carney warned that middle powers like Canada must collaborate effectively or risk becoming ‘on the menu’ in great power competitions. He challenged these nations to move beyond simply building defensive walls and instead pursue more ambitious collective strategies.

The address gained additional significance following reports from Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper revealing that Canadian military planners have developed contingency models for a potential U.S. invasion. According to anonymous senior officials, these plans involve insurgency-style tactics similar to those used against Soviet and American forces in Afghanistan.

This military planning context follows concerning rhetoric from President Trump, who has repeatedly referred to Canada as a potential 51st state and recently shared a social media image depicting both Canada and Venezuela under the American flag. The Davos meeting has been further overshadowed by Trump’s threats to enforce U.S. control over Greenland, prompting Carney to affirm Canada’s support for Greenland and Denmark’s right to self-determination.