By CHANGE OF GUARDS
“…We as a nation are on the verge of having a serious confrontation with the current U.S. Ambassador to our country for disrespecting our beloved and celebrated President and for undermining the Constitution of Uganda. If the current U.S. Ambassador does not personally apologize to Mzee (Museveni) by Monday morning for his undiplomatic behavior in our country, we will demand his departure from Uganda. If ANYBODY is STUPID enough to attack us here in our own country, I can only promise them hell, destruction, and defeat.”
— Gen. Muhoozi, 6th October 2024
It is becoming increasingly clear that Museveni has positioned himself as one of Russia’s topmost African allies. While he has consistently pretended to abstain from voting for or against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his support for Russia is unmistakable. He was one of only 16 African Heads of State to attend the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit, notably, the only leader from East and the Horn of Africa.
Museveni’s primary goal during the summit was to introduce his son to President Putin, seeking his endorsement as the heir to Uganda’s presidency. Muhoozi, Museveni’s son, has openly admired Putin, frequently referring to himself as a ‘Putinist’.
“Call me a Putinist if you wish, but we Ugandans shall send soldiers to defend Moscow if it is ever threatened by the imperialists.”
“We only believe in President Putin when it comes to Eastern Europe. The West is wasting its time with its useless pro-Ukraine propaganda. Russia, China, India, Africa, and South America will defeat the imperialists.”
It is for this reason that Museveni made it a point to meet Putin on the very first day of the summit, later tweeting:
“…I have invited Russia to take interest in several businesses. On the military side, Uganda has managed to become an island in our part of the world due to our cooperation through procurement of equipment from Russia over the years.”
Putin’s Press Secretary addressed the low attendance at the summit, stating:
“This is absolutely blatant, brazen interference by the USA, France, and other states through their attempts to pressure the leadership of these countries, preventing their active participation in the forum.”
A year later, in his recent Independence Day message, Putin reaffirmed the significance of Museveni’s 2023 trip to Moscow:
“The Russian Federation and the Republic of Uganda enjoy friendly relations. This fact was fully reaffirmed by our joint work at the Russia-Africa summit… I am confident that further development of constructive bilateral cooperation fully meets the interests of our people and aligns with strengthening security and stability.”
For close to a decade, the Russian military has been engaged in classified operations with Museveni’s army, coordinated by Gen. James Mugira. The recently publicized donation of USD 100 million to Museveni’s military by Putin carried a strong message. It was no coincidence that Uganda’s Independence Day military parade adopted the Russian style of marching.
Therefore, the ongoing outbursts from Museveni’s son, the “Crown Prince” Gen. Muhoozi, can be seen as a directive from Putin to Gen. Museveni. In turn, Museveni tasks his son with issuing these fiery statements, or “MUSEVENOM.” This serves as an accountability measure for the military aid Uganda has received, as well as a strategy to ensure Muhoozi’s future ascension to the presidency.
INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM
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