Important:
After the expiry of the 9 AM ultimatum today, some social media users claimed that the envoy had bowed to Muhoozi's demands, something the embassy has outrightly refuted. The embassy described it as fake.
The U.S. mission in Uganda has dismissed reports making rounds online that the American Ambassador to Uganda, William W Popp, has apologised to President Yoweri Museveni as demanded by his (Museveni) son and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Muhoozi, on Friday, gave Ambassador Popp only until today Monday to deliver an apology to President Yoweri Museveni for what he termed as ‘disrespecting’ him and undermining the country’s Supreme Law.
Short of which, Gen Muhoozi, said, demands to force him (Popp) out of the country are initiated.
“Fellow Ugandans, it is my solemn duty to announce to you all that we as a nation are about to have a serious confrontation with the current US Ambassador to our country. For disrespecting our beloved and celebrated president and for undermining the constitution of Uganda,” Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday.
“If this current U.S. Ambassador does not apologize to Mzee (President Museveni) personally by Monday morning (9.00am) for his undiplomatic behaviour in our country, we will demand he leaves Uganda.”
“We have no problem with the USA, as I have said many times it is a country we love and admire. But lately, we have a lot of evidence that they have been working against the NRM government,” he explained.
After the expiry of the 9 AM ultimatum today, some social media users claimed that the envoy had bowed to Muhoozi’s demands, something the embassy has outrightly refuted. The embassy described it as fake.
“This narrative is completely false. Neither the U.S. Embassy nor #AmbPopp have received any formal request to apologize from the Ugandan government on any matter, nor has he apologized,” communicated the embassy in part, in a post written on their official X handle.
We have however established that Gen Kainerugaba on Saturday deleted from X, all his posts threatening to expel the American envoy. It is not clear why he did it.
Ambassador Popp, who is a career member of the America’s Senior Foreign Service, a rank of Career Minister, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador to Uganda on July 27, 2023.
Muhoozi’s warning came only a day after the U.S. Department of State announced travel sanctions on four officers of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) on allegations of gross violation of human rights, including torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment.
The sanctioned officers include Bob Kagarura, former Wamala Regional Police Commander, and Alex Mwine, former District Police Commander for Mitanya District.
Others are Elly Womanya, who at the time of the alleged human violation was Senior Commissioner and Deputy Director of UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and Hamdani Twesigye, previously Deputy Inspector of Police assigned to the SIU.
Kagarura, Mwine, Twesigye, and Womanya were allegedly involved in “serious and credible” gross violations of human rights, as documented by Ugandan civil court documents, civil society organisations and independent journalists.
Some of the officers designated have since retired from the force or transferred and appointed to new roles. The statement did not mention when the alleged human rights violations were committed.