“Gen Muhoozi's Tweets are causing us problems,” Gen Otafiire Said in a Leaked Telephone Call with Amb. Mirjam Blaak, Uganda’s Ambassador to EU.
KAMPALA — A purported telephone conversation between retired Major General Kahinda Otafiire and Uganda’s Ambassador to the European Union, Mirjam Blaak, suggests that social media posts by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba became a major diplomatic headache for Ugandan officials seeking to fend off European criticism following the disputed 2026 general elections.
The alleged transcript, whose authenticity could not be independently verified, appears to capture a discussion between the two officials at a time when National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, had disappeared from public view amid reports that security agencies were hunting opposition leaders and supporters.
At the time, Uganda was facing mounting scrutiny from European lawmakers over allegations of political repression, arbitrary arrests and the treatment of opposition supporters in the aftermath of the polls.
According to the leaked conversation, Ambassador Blaak had just concluded meetings with members of the European Parliament as Kampala sought to counter criticism and reassure lawmakers about the situation in Uganda.
“We are trying to defend our country, hand, tooth, nails, whatever it is at our disposal in regard to the European Parliament resolution,” Blaak says in the recording.
“We have just been with the European Parliament.”
A central concern for European lawmakers, according to the transcript, was the whereabouts and legal status of Bobi Wine, who had gone underground after the elections.
“The problem is, of course, Bobi Wine mostly. Is he a wanted man?” Blaak asks Otafiire.
“Not a wanted man,” Otafiire replies.
Blaak appears relieved by the response.
“No, no. I know. I’m glad to say that, because I’m going to officially declare this now,” she says.
However, she immediately points to what appears to have been a major source of confusion among European lawmakers.
“She wants my quote, and I had already stated it, but I said, ‘Let me be sure, because you know there are certain tweets that have said differently.’”
While Blaak does not explicitly identify the tweets, the remarks appear to be a reference to controversial posts by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, whose statements on social media about Bobi Wine had drawn international attention.
In the days following President Yoweri Museveni’s re-election, Muhoozi posted a series of messages on X referring to Bobi Wine as a “terrorist”, giving him an ultimatum to surrender and warning that he would be treated as an outlaw if he failed to do so.
In another post, Muhoozi said security forces had killed several alleged NUP supporters and that he was “praying” Bobi Wine would be next.
Trouble
The leaked transcript suggests those posts complicated efforts by Ugandan diplomats to assure European lawmakers that Bobi Wine was not being sought by the state.
According to the transcript, Otafiire acknowledged the diplomatic fallout from the social media posts.
“It’s the tweets causing us problems,” Otafiire says, before adding: “It’s like giving alcohol to a hungry man.”
He emphasized that the “Tweets confirm what Bobi is saying (he is a wanted man).”
The remarks suggest frustration among some senior officials over the impact of the posts on Uganda’s international image at a time when diplomats were battling growing criticism in European capitals.
Blaak says she intended to convey Otafiire’s clarification to European parliamentarians.
“If we can declare this now, she will announce it to the other European parliamentarians to say that this is indeed the case,” she says.
The conversation also reveals concern among Ugandan officials about Bobi Wine’s influence within European political circles.
“We are doing well, I think, with the European Parliament. It’s always causing us a lot of problems, because he has a lot of influence around the European Parliament, and that is not good,” Blaak says.
Otafiire agrees, noting that Ugandan officials were constantly being required to answer questions arising from concerns raised in Europe.
“We have every day have to fight this every day. We are the ones getting to answer for it,” he says.
The exchange offers a rare glimpse into the diplomatic battle that accompanied Uganda’s domestic political crisis, with European institutions emerging as a key arena in the struggle between the government and opposition for legitimacy and international support.
Efforts to reach Otafiire and Ambassador Blaak for comment were yet to bear fruit.
Source: Chimpreports
Comments
Post a Comment