Opinion: Canada’s Hypocrisy on Uganda’s Human Rights Crisis Must End

For years, Ugandans in the diaspora, including the National Unity Platform (NUP) Canada Chapter, have staged peaceful demonstrations across Canada, calling for justice, democracy, and an end to human rights violations in Uganda. They have spoken out against Mr. Yoweri Museveni’s brutal regime, which has ruled Uganda with an iron fist for nearly four decades—suppressing opposition, silencing critics, and committing atrocities against civilians.

Yet, despite these cries for help, the Canadian government continues to grant visas and protection to top officials of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM)—the very individuals responsible for Uganda’s suffering. While ordinary Ugandans face police brutality, unlawful detentions, and extrajudicial killings, NRM elites and their families live comfortably in Canada, shielded from the consequences of their regime’s actions.

Canada’s Complicity in Uganda’s Oppression

Canada claims to uphold democracy and human rights, but its actions tell a different story. While the government imposes sanctions on other authoritarian regimes, why does it continue to host and accommodate Ugandan government officials who have blood on their hands? These same officials use their presence in Canada to intimidate Ugandans in exile, threatening activists who dare to expose the dictatorship.

Ugandans are suffering—political opponents are jailed, journalists are silenced, and elections are rigged. Reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations have documented these abuses, yet Canada continues to engage with and financially support this dictatorship.

Foreign Aid That Enables Oppression

Canada, alongside other Western nations, pours millions into Uganda under the guise of “development aid.” Yet, much of this money never reaches the people—it is looted by corrupt officials or used to sustain a regime that prioritizes repression over progress. Why is Canada funding “social behavior change” in Uganda while ignoring the real crisis—state-sponsored violence and human rights abuses?

Western governments must stop legitimizing Uganda’s dictatorship through diplomatic ties and financial support. Instead, they should impose targeted sanctions on corrupt officials, freeze their assets, and revoke their visas.

The Ugandan people have spoken. If Canada and other Western nations truly believe in human rights, they must act. Until then, their so-called commitment to democracy remains nothing but a political performance.

We Demand Justice!

Stop granting visas and asylum to Ugandan government officials involved in human rights violations!

Impose sanctions on NRM elites and freeze their assets abroad!

Hold Canada accountable for aiding and abetting a dictatorship!

It is time for real action—not empty words.

#SanctionNRMOfficials
#JusticeForUganda
#CanadaSupportsDictatorship
#HumanRightsMatter
#StopFundingOppression

@AmnestyInternational @UNHumanRights @hrw @CIVICUSalliance @IntlCrimCourt @UNICEF @CanadaFP @JustinTrudeau @GAC_Corporate @UN @UN_HRC