Opinion: Your apology isn’t accepted, Mr. President

“As the top leader of the Movement. We humbly take responsibility for all mistakes made by ourselves, our agents and representatives. Therefore, we stand here to repent and ask for your forgiveness. Forgiveness especially for the people of Buganda and the whole country. We pray for restoration and favour. Lord restore our favour, that we came with and had with them in the beginning. Bring healing to their hearts. Soften the hardened hearts and reconnect us to the original vision” – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Janet Museveni (25.05.2025).

There is to much water under the bridge. The vagueness of the apology and lack of substance make it look like a ploy. This is making themselves look supreme and holy ahead of the 2026 General Elections. That’s why the President and First Lady/Minister asked for an apology.

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the inner circle knows what they have done and what sort of record it has. The years have lingered on the party and the President knows what he has done. That’s why this apology is insincere when his making laws and amendments, which are in disconnect with the needs of the nation. He wants to be oppressive and use force on people. That’s why he wants Military Courts and use Law Enforcement to detain dissidents. Therefore, there is little proof of a sort of acts, which will be for the betterment of the Republic.

There is little justice and liberty in the nation. The usage of impunity and militarized society is what the President has brough on the nation. It is a junta government, and the army is involved in every part of government.

These two has built the system and government which we see today. Museveni knows his wrongs and he spelt them out in the past. Just reading his old speeches in contrast to how his governing now. He knows his in the wrong, but he does so to prolong his stay in office.

If we would have believed him. He would have stopped with safe houses, making a duplications of security organizations to monitor, apprehend, kidnap and torture civilians. If he stopped the impunity and keeping citizens on remand on definitely on political prosecutions against civilians who are tied to the opposition. That’s all done by law and by orders of the government.

We could have believed him and his wife if they didn’t torture, drop them off on a random and even disappear people forever. We have seen this government using extra judicial killing and for a reason too. Therefore, this Apology is hallowed. It is a ploy and a plot for them.

When you know this apology isn’t sincere or honest. You know it is just made to make headlines and isn’t from a good place. That’s when you should just dismiss it. The President and First Lady could just drop a word-salad and said practically nothing. Because this here is pointless.

The acts of violence, usage of law enforcement and use of state to apprehend, kidnap, keep people incommunicado and harm people because of their political affiliations are showing their true nature. The usage of the military in the civilian sphere just shows how the President wants rules the Republic. That’s why he wants the arms, the guns and bravado to show his abilities on innocent bystanders or citizens at large.

That’s why their apology and prayers aren’t accepted. The lives are already touched, and it is not like they have tried to rectify the damage they have done. Neither is there any action for a betterment in the future. Instead, they are doubling down and making things worse as things goes. Their son is brutally harming people and gushing out about in public. That’s why the lineage are praising himself for hurting people on their behalf.

This is public knowledge, and this sort of spectacle could have worked in the early years of the Movement and after the bush-war. However, after decades of lack of compassion and acts of care for humanity. This sort of apology is worthless, when every single action they do are contrasting their words. Peace.

Uganda: Nkunyingi Muwanda MP – On the Press Release by the Uganda People Defense Forces allegedly Implicating the German Ambassador in Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer (26.05.2025)

Eritrea: Afwerki’s military obsession

“The wide popular participation along with the developmental tasks implemented in the past through the Defense Forces will increase in scope and quality with better institutional organization and higher popular inputs. As I had mentioned last year, the framework launched to create a conducive environment in order to stimulate the latent potential and active initiative of our patriotic citizens abroad in our developmental agenda has not yet materialized due to delays in the data collection task that is essential for charting out tangible plans. But the concrete participation of our citizens abroad in our developmental agenda will be launched from the second half of 2025 onwards as a third cohesive pillar to supplement the architecture of the Six Regions and the Defense Forces as outlined above. This configuration does not include projects and investments in various sectors and fields that may be launched at an individual, group or community levels” – President Isaias Afwerki, Independence Day Speech (24.05.2025).

It is a reason why Eritreans flee the Republic and the State of Eritrea. That is because of the lack of freedom and liberty, as they are conscripted for life. The citizens can be called by at any time. The soldiers work on farms and government businesses this has been reported for ages.

The state use of military and conscripts are such levels of oppression, that the state itself takes civilians into custody and force them to be soldiers. That is the levels of state acts towards the citizens. When hearing what the President for Life and the one who doesn’t believe in elections. Speaks like this at the 34th Independence Day Speech, it all makes sense.

The President knows that the only way the nation can develop is by using the forced people to make the nation liveable. This Head of State knows that no other institution really works or has institutional support, because he needs the army, and the army is the answer to everything. That’s why there haven’t been a Parliament and elected officials for decades. That’s why they don’t have others than cronies who is enlarging their pockets.

The ones that are believing PIA or anything sincerity in his speech. The myth and the lack of accuracy needs to be addressed. That’s why his directly speaking more about socio-political struggles or international challenges. This is what most of his speech was about.

However, the one part that stuck out to me was that he is now speaking the silent part out loud. The part that he and his comrades has dismissed. He now says he needs the army, and they are the one that can make the nation develop. That is saying this is a military dictatorship and a junta government. This is the initial gist of this part of the speech.

He said, “implemented through the Defence Force” and that says it all. It isn’t covert or trying to hide it. The Defence Force are now the instrument and the tool of institutionalism in the State. That means the army are a vital and the running organization of the nation.

After all these years… the state of affairs is this dire. There is nowhere to hide now. Peace.

Tchad: Lettre ouverte des personalites de la societe civile et des partis politiques – Objet: Enlevement de M. Success Masra et demande de sa liberation (22.05.2025)

RDC: Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC ) – Communique Officiel (25.05.2025)

Ethiopia: Amara Fano People’s Organization – Press release by AFPO regarding Ambassador Ervin Massinga’s statement (24.05.2025)

Ethiopia: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) – Re: US Embassy Call for Peace (23.05.2025)

South Sudan: Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – In Opposition (SPLM-IO) – General Secretariat – Press Statement (22.05.2025)

South Sudan: Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – The Swearing-in of Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan and Chairperson of the Economic Cluster, as First Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM Party (22.05.2025)

Tchad: Presidence de la Republique – Primature – Ministere de la Communication – Communique Officiel (22.05.2025)