UN urges Uganda to lift internet blackout ahead of election

The United Nations has called on Uganda to lift a nationwide internet blackout ahead of Thursday’s general election, describing the restrictions as “deeply worrying.”

The UN Human Rights Office stressed in a social media post Wednesday that “open access to communication & information is key to free & genuine elections.” “All Ugandans must be able to take part in shaping their future & the future of their country,” it said.

The blackout began Tuesday evening after the Uganda Communications Commission instructed mobile operators to block public internet access, as the country prepared for its January 15 vote. Internet monitor NetBlocks said the nation is “in the midst of a widespread internet shutdown,” warning the move could reduce transparency and increase the risk of vote fraud.

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces a challenge from pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine. Museveni’s government has been accused of cracking down on critics, arresting opposition leaders and disrupting campaign rallies.

The UN also warned last week that Ugandans would vote amid “widespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views.”

The Uganda Communications Commission defended the shutdown as necessary to curb “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.”

Amnesty International’s Tigere Chagutah called the blackout “a brazen attack on the right to freedom of expression,” highlighting its disproportionate impact on mobility, livelihoods, and access to information.

During Uganda’s last election campaign in 2021, widespread violence left at least 54 people dead, with authorities also cutting social media and internet access.

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