The exchange between the United States and Uganda has been getting serious ever since March 21, 2023, when the country passed its first Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
The White House raised serious concerns reading the bill after a day it was passed by the Parliament.
According to the remarks of Ms Karine Jean-Pioerre who is the White House Press Secretary, the bill is one of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the world. She also warned about potential economic sanctions against Uganda in regard to the anti-homosexuality bill.
According to the statement given by Jean-Pierre, the country is closely watching the developments in the recently passed bill and is currently in discussions regarding any kind of repercussions in an economic way, if even his bill is passed and enacted in the country.
In light of the statements, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs who is in charge of International Cooperation, Mr. Henry Oryem Okello compared the threats from the White House regarding economic sanctions to nothing but just the school playground bullying tactic.
Mr. Anthony Kujwa who currently serves as the spokesperson for the United States Embassy in Kampala stated in an email sent to Sunday Monitor that the next move from the United States will be dependent on the follow-ups made by President Yoweri Museveni in the matter.
He also reminded the fact that the Bill has not yet been signed into law in the country and said that discussing the possibilities and acting on those possibilities were premature.
In his statements regarding the threats concerning sanctions, Mr. Oryem Okello stated that the threats were clearly unjustified.
He criticized the American government for abusing the use of sanctions which are clearly for unjustified reasons. He also added that the country was ready to take the chances and to decide how to go about the issue.
Along with mentioning the fate of Uganda, Okello also said that it was not just the case of Uganda but other countries like Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi were also in a similar situation.
He ended his statement by saying that it was an African thing and that Americans should learn to respect the African way of life like they respect the American way.
Imposing sanctions regarding the matters of laws regarding sexuality and sexual rights is not a new thing. The United States has the same in similar matters earlier too. The most recent one took place in 2014 when the United States imposed sanctions over a rule regarding homosexuality in Uganda.
According to the rule, a person will have t serve up to 14 years in jail if they were found guilty of homosexual acts. The sentence would turn into life imprisonment if the case involves minors, disabled people, or HIV positioned persons. Washinton related to the law by stating that it ran counter to universal human rights.
Following the sanction of the law, the United States replied through some harsh methods. The country decided to cancel the aviation exercise that was expected to take place in Uganda under the sponsorship of the United States military.
They also canceled the funding that was aimed at different programs involving the Uganda Police Force and also the Ministry of Health. These programs were redirected from their original plans.
Apart from imposing serious economic sanctions, the United States has also imposed different non-economic sanctions on different government officials in the country.
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According to the statement of Caitlin Hayden who was the former spokesperson of the White House, these officials were a part of significant public corruption and they were also allegedly involved in different serious cases of human rights abuse.
Following the allegations made by the White House, around 50 Ugandan firms and individuals were affected by these non-economic sanctions.
Among the affected people, some of the most stable personalities included Gen Kale Kayihura, who used to serve as the Inspector General of Police.
Economic and travel sanctions were slapped on Kayihura as he was accused of being involved in corruption and also in the violation of human rights.
The former Chief of Military Intelligence, Maj Gen Abel Kandiho was also a victim of these non-economic sanctions as travel restrictions were imposed on him as he was accused of being a part of the human rights violation.
The concern regarding possible economic sanctions being slapped on Uganda is being discussed in different circles and the economic situation of the country is also not in a good condition. The country recently had around 40% budget cuts for several ministries, departments, and also in different agencies.
The changes and cuts in the budget were a part of the ‘budget repurposing’ plan that was put forward by the Secretary of the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi. All eyes are on the government to see what plans they come up with to face this situation.
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