Uganda not Renewing UN Mandate

Uganda – The Ugandan government has informed the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) that it will not be renewing the mandate of the OHCHR office in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited the development of Uganda’s own capacity to monitor human rights compliance as the main reason for the decision.

The OHCHR office in Uganda was established in 2006 and was initially limited to covering conflict-ridden areas in the north and northeast, before later expanding its coverage to the rest of the country.

The Ugandan government, led by President Yoweri Museveni, has faced criticism from the opposition, human rights activists, and Western countries for various human rights violations including torture, illegal detentions, and extrajudicial killings. However, officials have denied nearly all the accusations and have claimed that security forces implicated in rights abuses have been punished.