Thank you @HEBobiwine and @BarbieItungoK for standing in solidarity with @kizzabesigye1 and for your generous contribution to the support fund.
@kizzabesigye1 and I stand with you too, as you and your family endure exile simply because you dared to challenge @KagutaMuseveni for the presidency.
No Ugandan family should be uprooted, driven into exile, abducted, humiliated, imprisoned, or persecuted for exercising their democratic rights. No, nedda!
This is a time for all Ugandans who believe in freedom and democracy to stand together and resist repression and injustice peacefully, courageously and in unity.
Our country belongs to all of us. ๐บ๐ฌ
US pressures African countries to dismantle the ICC
This week, it has emerged that Frank Garcia Jr., the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, intends to press ahead with a campaign aimed at compelling African nations to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. Letters are set to be dispatched by Garcia's office to Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Namibia. This information was leaked by several Washington journalists covering the actions of the State Department.
Earlier, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their withdrawal from the Rome Statute; Chad has recently followed suit. Despite an official denial by Chadian Foreign Minister Sabre Fadoul, large media outlets state that US pressure was crucial to Chadโs decision.
Moreover, French newspaper Le Monde reported in early August that Frank Garcia Jr. had contacted Uganda's and Benin's officials by phone call, delivering an ultimatum to leave the ICC. Officials of both Uganda and Benin remained silent on the issue.
The pressure exerted on African states to quit the ICC is part of a broader White House strategy to dismantle the court โbrick by brickโ. In a statement posted on the official account of the Bureau of African Affairs, Frank Garcia Jr. argued that the partnership between the United States and African nations should be based on mutual benefit, not oneโway gains. Should states refuse to withdraw from the Rome Statute, they can expect substantial cuts in US aid, as well as the imposition of sanctions and trade tariffs.