President Museveni greating to European Union delegates at State House (PHOTO/Courtesy).
KAMPALA – President Museveni has met European Union ambassadors in Uganda amid the ongoing strained relations between the two partners over human rights violations in the run-up to the January 14 general elections.
The meeting which took place at State House Entebbe on Thursday, 18 February 2021, comes a week after the EU Parliament voted overwhelmingly to slap sanctions on several Ugandan officials that are said to have participated in the torture, kidnap and harassment of opposition presidential candidates and their supporters.
During the meeting, President Museveni told the EU delegation led by Attilio Pacifici that they should look at one another as partners of development not “adversaries.”
“For us we don’t see you as enemies, remove all the diversions and concentrate on the shared goals and help one another for the prosperity of our people,” the President said.
Museveni urged the envoys to always consult with government officials in case they want clarification on any local issues.
He also promised to share with the envoys a report on the investigations being carried out by security agencies following the November 2020 riots in Kampala and other urban areas where lives were lost.
“By involving yourselves in matters that you don’t understand, even if you do understand, you should not get involved because this kind of misconduct can lead to many serious consequences and suffering of the people like it happened in some African countries,” he said.
The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and other senior government officials.
The European Union (EU) Parliament on February 12 recommended sanctions against Ugandan individuals and organisations they claim are responsible for human rights violations during the recent general election.
The elections were characterised by a crackdown by security forces and government agencies against the Opposition and civil society organisations, with Opposition players, in particular the National Unity Platform (NUP), still crying foul.
More than 60 people were killed, with 54 killed in the melee that followed the arrest of NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alis Bobi Wine, on November 18.
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