The Acting Director of Defense Public Information in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Colonel Chris Magezi, has revealed that security and intelligence agencies have, over recent months, arrested and interrogated several individuals linked to organized armed rebellion, plots to bomb public places, and acts of economic sabotage through the vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
According to Col. Magezi, widespread vandalism of electricity infrastructure has particularly affected districts in central Uganda, including Wakiso, Mukono, Kayunga, Luweero, Nakaseke, Kiboga, Nakasongola, Mityana, Mubende, Mpigi, and the greater Masaka region.
“Some of the arrested suspects had previously presented themselves as activists of opposition political parties, particularly the National Unity Platform (NUP). Many of them have since been charged and remanded pending court hearings,” Col. Magezi stated on Friday.
He noted that the Inter-Agency Security Committee, chaired by the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces and comprising the Uganda Police Force, Prisons Service, and Intelligence Organizations is working closely to infiltrate and dismantle terrorist and subversive cells. These cells, he said, are actively recruiting vulnerable youths in the greater Kampala metropolitan ghetto areas into rebel activities.
“In its most recent sitting, the security committee resolved to take firm action against the ringleaders, organizers, and financiers of these rebel activities, which are, in part, intended to disrupt the upcoming general elections early next year,” he said.
Col. Magezi further alleged that some funding and mobilization efforts for these groups are linked to foreign entities, claiming that certain accredited European diplomatic missions in Kampala are involved.
“We are particularly concerned about the illegal and clandestine activities of the German Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer,” he said. “Our intelligence services have documented undiplomatic practices occurring across the country that violate the spirit of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
He added that the Ugandan government is addressing the matter through appropriate diplomatic channels.
The UPDF and the Inter-Agency Security Committee condemned what they described as foreign interference in Uganda’s internal affairs and pledged to take decisive measures against those aiming to destabilize the country.
Col. Magezi advised Ugandan youths to reject the influence of political actors who seek to exploit their vulnerabilities for destabilizing purposes. Instead, he urged them to participate in government-led wealth creation and youth empowerment initiatives.
“Those who collude with foreign actors to undermine Uganda’s peace and stability will continue to be identified, isolated, and dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land,” he concluded.
