Uganda government intimidating rights groups, HRW

Kampala, 22 Aug – (ANA) - Rights groups in Uganda are facing increased harassment and intimidation from government officials, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday. The New York-based HRW said in a report that rising hostility from the government was making it difficult for civil society groups to freely conduct their work. President Yoweri Museveni, widely expected to seek a fifth term in office in 2016, has often criticised non-governmental organisations, accusing them of sabotaging government projects and representing the interests of foreign governments. A government spokesman rejected the HRW accusations. HRW cited closure of meetings, reprimands, demands for apologies or retractions, threats, harassment and physical violence as some to the tactics officials have used to obstruct the work of civil society groups. "Civil society actors working on governance, human rights, land, oil, and other sensitive issues are the main targets of these attacks, apparently because they are viewed as threatening to undermine the regime's political and financial interests," HRW said. The east African country discovered commercial crude oil deposits in the Lake Albert region in its west along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2006 and the ministry of energy estimates reserves at 2.5 billion barrels. UK explorer Tullow Oil says first oil from its Uganda project is still more than three years away. (ANA)

FA/ANA/22 August 2012---------------