Uganda

[[File:Uganda - Location Map (2013) - UGA - UNOCHA.svg|thumb|right|195px|Location in Africa.]]
{{cquote|The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power.|||Yoweri Museveni, 1986, who subsequently became Uganda's current president, [[Irony|and has been for 38 years]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9477930.stm Would Uganda's Museveni recognise his former self?]. ''BBC News.''</ref>}}
{{countrybox|Uganda
|flag = Flag_of_Uganda.svg
|pop =31,800,000 	
|GDP =17,121
|GDPPC =503 
|life =51.5
|dev =0.422
|dem =5.05
|cor =2.5
|edu =0.698
|rel =93
}}

The '''"Republic" of Uganda''' is a small and troubled country in eastern [[Africa]]. It is currently ruled by Yoweri Museveni, who styles himself as president but rules as a [[dictator]]. He has been in power since 1986.

Uganda takes its name from the {{wpl|Buganda}} kingdom, founded in the Fourteenth Century. In 1894, during the [[Scramble for Africa]], Uganda became a protectorate of the [[British Empire]]. It remained under British rule until 1962. Uganda has managed to cram an awful lot of history into its few decades of independence - or rather, a lot of ''awful'' history. From [[Idi Amin]] to the [[Lord's Resistance Army]], Uganda has suffered dictatorship, war, dictatorship, war, dictatorship, and war. And the [[Ebola]] virus. And then some more war.

Uganda's official languages are English and {{wpl|Swahili}}. Its capital and largest city is Kampala. In terms of religion, the people of Uganda are predominantly [[Christian]], with 40% of the population identifying as [[Catholic]] and 32% of the population identifying with the Church of Uganda, which is part of the [[Anglican]] Communion.<ref>{{wpa|Religion in Uganda|}}</ref> Other Christian denominations such as [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Pentecostal]], and [[Seventh-day Adventism]] also have significant followings in Uganda.

The [[United States]] State Department maintains a Level 2 Travel Advisory towards Uganda, warning American citizens of the high risks of violent [[crime]] and kidnapping.<ref>[https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/uganda-travel-advisory.html Uganda Travel Advisory]. US State Department.</ref>

==Historical overview==
===Pre-colonial history===
Humans inhabited the region that is now Uganda for at least 50,000 years, and archaeological evidence possibly indicates human activity there as far back as 100,000 years ago.<ref>{{wpa|Early history of Uganda|}}</ref> Various kingdoms and empires rose and fell in the Lake Victoria area during the [[Middle Ages]]. The most significant of these was the Kingdom of Buganda, from which modern Uganda takes its name. The realm's founder, Kintu, arrived in the Fourteenth Century from further north in Africa and conquered the region with an alliance of clans.<ref name="buganda">[https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/buganda-c-late-14th-century-present/ Buganda]. ''Black Past.''</ref> Kintu then focused on integrating the conquered peoples by ordering his followers to intermarry with them; this created the modern Bugandan ethnic group.  

By this time, Buganda was too large to face any real opposition. Internally, however, the kingdom was a shit-show. Due to its lack of a peaceful succession mechanism, various clans warred with each other constantly for the honor of placing one of their own on the throne.<ref name="buganda"/> Until about 1894, the Bugandans effectively played out their own version of ''Game of Thrones'' in sub-Saharan Africa.

===British Uganda Protectorate===
[[File:Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.svg|thumb|right|275px|Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.]]
Europeans became keenly interested in exploring the so-called "Dark Continent" during the mid-19th Century They were most especially eager to find the source of the great Nile River. Long story short, British explorers found the river's source and named it Lake Victoria in 1858.<ref>[https://www.historytoday.com/archive/nile%E2%80%99s-source-discovered The Nile’s Source Discovered]. ''History Today.''</ref> British ambition immediately aimed to conquer the entire length of the Nile River, and their efforts to do this directly imperiled the Buganda Kingdom.

European missionaries, not just from the UK but also from other Christian countries and faiths, flooded into the region to convert the natives to Christianity. The empire itself remained content with taking a hands-off approach to the area. Right up until the [[German Empire]] also started making inroads into Uganda. With their control over the source of the Nile under threat, the British government immediately mobilized and struck a deal with the Germans to solidify British control over Uganda in exchange for handing some other territories to the Germans.<ref name="uganproc">[https://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/uganda.htm Uganda Protectorate]. ''British Empire.''</ref> With international consent, the British forced their rule over Uganda and turned it into a protectorate.

[[File:BEA-KUT 1958 MiNr0094I pm B002.jpg|thumb|right|200px|British East Africa stamp with [[Elizabeth II]]'s face.]]

The Imperial British East Africa Company constructed a fort in 1890 in the old capital of the Buganda Kingdom to consolidate British military rule over the region.<ref>[https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/kampala-uganda-1890/ Kampala, Uganda]. ''Black Past.''</ref> This military outpost grew to become the financial and communications hub of the Uganda Protectorate. 

Uganda's remoteness made widespread European settlement impossible, or at least forbiddingly expensive, so it never really had a large enough white population to set about horribly oppressing the black natives.<ref name="uganproc"/> Despite this, the Imperial British East Africa Company set about improving the region by building a railroad and facilitating widespread agricultural production. This railway was constructed mainly by indentured laborers forced into servitude from British [[India]], and many of those laborers perished during the construction process.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/762515.stm Kenya's Asian heritage on display]. ''BBC News.''</ref>

However, shit hit the fan in 1892, when [[civil war]] erupted between Africans who had been converted to [[Protestantism]] by the British missionaries and Africans who had been converted to [[Catholicism]] by French missionaries.<ref name="ugandacol">[http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ad22 History of Uganda]. ''History World.''</ref> The Company restored order by using its fancy new machine guns, but by then, the religious war had caused serious loss of life and destruction of property. The British government decided to institute the direct rule of Uganda by the Crown.

After being connected to the outside world by the railroad, Uganda became one of the wealthier colonies in Africa. Unlike in other places, much of that wealth was actually kept in the hands of native Africans.<ref name="uganproc"/> In this fashion, Uganda became one of the luckier African colonies. The British Crown found it most convenient to enforce its will by using local rulers. The most significant of these local rulers was the King of Buganda. In exchange for retaining his power and court, the King of Buganda became the British Empire's eager agent.<ref name="ugandacol"/> 

After [[World War II]], the burden of the British colonial empire became too high to manage, and Uganda began its path towards independence. By 1955, it had a legislative council, over half of whose members were Africans, and that legislative council was even beginning to form genuine political parties.<ref name="indep">[https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/uganda/history Uganda : History]. The Commonwealth.</ref> Any prospect for continued British rule in the region died when [[Kenya]] began the bloody and expensive Mau Mau Rebellion. The British basically dumped Uganda in 1962, and Uganda became an independent nation.

===Independence and crisis===
[[File:Ugandan kings at Toro ceremony late 1950s.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Subnational monarchs: the kings of (<small>from left to right</small>) Ankole, Bunyoro, Buganda, and Lango.]]
Even though it prospered under British rule, Uganda still suffered from the British policy of empowering local rulers, turning it into a [[feudal]] patchwork mess. Enter Milton Obote, a highly-educated activist and [[nationalist]]. Obote had previously been forced into exile due to his anti-British advocacy. However, he returned to find his country still dominated by the creaking feudal rulership of the Buganda Kingdom even after its independence from the British. To fix that, Obote assembled the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), which comprised various anti-Buganda ethnic groups and kingdoms.<ref name="obote">[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Milton-Obote Milton Obote]. ''Britannica.''</ref> Obote became prime minister of Uganda and pushed through a [[constitution]] that granted federal status within Uganda to five traditional kingdoms, including Buganda.<ref name="obote"/> On the other side of Uganda's political divide was Mutesa II of Buganda, who was nicknamed by the foreign press as "King Freddie".<ref>{{wpa|Mutesa II of Buganda|}}</ref>

The tensions between the Ugandan government and the Bugandan kingdom became unresolvable. The central government had grown irredeemably corrupt, and Obote himself was implicated in 1966 in a [[gold]] smuggling scheme alongside army officer Idi Amin.<ref name="badstarts">[http://www.buganda.com/crisis66.htm The 1966 Crisis]. ''Buganda.com''</ref> When Parliament tried to open an inquiry into the matter, Obote told them to fuck off and suspended the Ugandan constitution. The Kingdom of Buganda condemned this measure, so Obote put Idi Amin in charge of the military and ordered them to capture or kill King Freddie.<ref name="badstarts"/> A day-long battle ensued, with the military deploying tanks and helicopters against the king's palace, but the king managed to escape into exile. Obote then abolished all of Uganda's subnational monarchies and declared himself the sole executive authority in Uganda. 

===The first Obote regime===
[[File:Grace Ibingira, Milton Obote, and John Kakonge.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Obote with some party cronies.]]
Many people, of course, were very unhappy with Obote's abrupt usurpation of power. In 1969, an unknown assailant tried to assassinate Obote. Things got much, much worse after that. Obote banned opposition political parties and then sent the military to terrorize, [[torture]], and harass people. He then assembled a [[secret police]] force called the General Service Unit, under the leadership of Obote's cousin, to commit even more atrocities.<ref>Phares Mukasa Mutibwa (1992). Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes. United Kingdom: C. Hurst & Co. pp. 65–70. ISBN 1-85065-066-7.</ref>

Meanwhile, Obote started preparing for Uganda's entry into the turbulent [[Cold War]]. With [[communism]]'s historically anti-colonialist message, it's unsurprising that Obote chose to start moving Uganda in a socialist direction. Obote's "Move to the Left" program was not, however, really about socialism. Instead, it was more of a means to mobilize Ugandan [[nationalism]], mainly by suppressing diverse local cultures and strengthening the military.<ref>{{wpa|Move to the Left|}}</ref> Uganda's economy became even more corrupt as Obote's cronies took power and privileges they didn't have the knowledge or competence to manage. Food prices skyrocketed due to perpetual shortages.<ref>Phares Mukasa Mutibwa (1992). Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes. United Kingdom: C. Hurst & Co. pp. 65–70. ISBN 1-85065-066-7.</ref>

Meanwhile, Idi Amin was lurking in the background with his own ambitions. In 1970, Obote moved against his old ally by removing him from his post, fearing that Idi Amin had become too influential among the soldiers. It's quite possible that Amin, at this point, came into contact with some Western Powers like the United States.<ref>G. S. K. Ibingira (1980), African Upheavals since Independence, Westview Press, ISBN 0-89158-585-0</ref> Regardless of how it happened, Idi Amin orchestrated a military coup in 1971, which removed Obote from power while Obote was on a foreign visit to [[Singapore]].<ref>{{wpa|1971 Ugandan coup d'état|}}</ref> The ''Journal of Modern African Studies'' characterized the coup as an example of "class action by the military", as many military commanders feared that Obote's socialist-leaning regime threatened their personal economic privileges.<ref>Lofchie, Michael F. (May 1972). "The Uganda Coup—Class Action by the Military". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 10 (1): 19–35. doi:10.1017/S0022278X00022072. JSTOR 159819.</ref>

===Idi Amin regime===
[[File:Idi Amin - Entebbe 1966-06-12.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The evil Idi Amin.]]
{{main|Idi Amin}}
Things started getting even worse for Uganda once Idi Amin came into power. He freed some political prisoners to boost his initial popularity, but he then unleashed "killing squads" to pursue any remaining Obote loyalists in Uganda.<ref name="amini">[https://www.biography.com/political-figure/idi-amin Idi Amin Biography]. ''Biography.com''</ref> Naturally, those killing squads didn't limit themselves to their initial targets. Amin soon authorized them to start pursuing other people he didn't like, such as [[homosexuals]], journalists, and students.<ref name="amini"/>

Under Amin's rule, Uganda transformed into a mere extension of the military. He renamed Government House "the Command Post," placed military tribunals above the civil law system, appointed soldiers to top government posts and parastatal agencies, and even informed the newly inducted civilian cabinet ministers that they would be subject to military discipline.<ref name="aminii">[http://countrystudies.us/uganda/10.htm Military Rule Under Amin]. ''Country Studies.''</ref> Uganda was split into areas of influence, which were ruled with iron fists by military commanders who behaved as little more than warlords. Despite the outward appearance of military discipline, the new military government was even more corrupt and unstable than the regime it replaced; backstabbing and murders were disturbingly common.<ref name="aminii"/> The internal competition was ruthless, and defeat meant death. Amin himself got in on the action, and he periodically rewarded or purged officers to maintain his grip on the military.

In 1972, Amin decided to completely purge Uganda's longstanding [[Indian]] and Asian minority. Amin forced the expulsion of about 50,000 people with a decree, accusing them of being disloyal to the state.<ref>{{wpa|Expulsion of Asians from Uganda|}}</ref> Although Amin claimed to be retaking "Uganda for the Ugandans", the confiscated property from the expelled was doled out to high-level military commanders who were in Amin's good graces.<ref name="aminii"/> 

Amin apparently decided that he quite liked cracking down on minorities, so his list of targets expanded to include other African ethnic groups inside Uganda. He established the State Research Bureau, which became his personal murder factory. The SRB rounded up undesirables and massacred them inside what were effectively human slaughterhouses.<ref>[https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/uganda-genocide-nightmare-finally-end Uganda genocide: A nightmare finally comes to an end]. ''World Vision.''</ref> Methods of execution were brutal, often involving knives and hammers. This evil killing spree generated an estimated death toll of 300,000 to 500,000.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/aug/18/guardianobituaries Idi Amin]. ''The Guardian.''</ref>

===War with Tanzania===
[[File:Uganda Army OT-64 APC.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Ugandan armored vehicle during the invasion of Tanzania.]]
Meanwhile, Obote had survived Amin's coup against him and had gone into exile in Tanzania at the invitation of his personal friend President Julius Nyerere. With him went about 20,000 loyalists, and they all proceeded to plot together to overthrow Amin.<ref name="tani">[https://www.globalblackhistory.com/2019/10/the-uganda-tanzania-kagera-war.html Uganda–Tanzania War]. ''Global Black History.''</ref> That plan came to fruition in 1972 when Obote's forces invaded Uganda with Tanzanian supplies.<ref name="tani"/> Of course, Idi Amin had been obsessing over Uganda's military for years by that point, and Uganda was able to easily beat back the rebellion.

Amin wasn't about to sit on his ass, waiting for a second attack. He marshaled his forces and launched an attack on Tanzania in 1978, ostensibly to clean up the old colonial borders.<ref name="tani"/> Attacking, however, is a lot harder than defending. Within months, Tanzania rallied, gathered allies and supporters, and managed to kick the Ugandans back to their capital city of Kampala.<ref>Seftel, Adam, ed. (2010) [1st pub. 1994]. Uganda: The Bloodstained Pearl of Africa and Its Struggle for Peace. From the Pages of Drum. Kampala: Fountain Publishers. ISBN 978-9970-02-036-2. p. 229</ref> Morale and discipline broke down in the Ugandan military as they began to suffer a rapid series of defeats at the hands of Tanzania and Friends. Finally, in April 1979, the allies seized control of Kampala itself, and Idi Amin fled in a helicopter.<ref>{{wpa|Fall of Kampala|}}</ref> The war ended with several thousand dead, mainly on the Ugandan side.<ref>{{wpa|Uganda–Tanzania War|}}</ref>

With his military gone and his power broken, Idi Amin had no choice but to get the fuck out of dodge. Like many former dictators, Amin managed to escape justice even after losing his position. He went into comfortable exile in [[Saudi Arabia]], enjoying a mansion, getting massages at health clubs, and taking comfort in that absolutely no nation attempted to bring him to justice.<ref>[https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/164-icc/28440.html The Obscenely Easy Exile of Idi Amin]. ''Global Policy Forum.''</ref> Amin died of natural causes in 2003.

===Civil war===
[[File:Marktuganda.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Market in impoverished postwar Uganda, 1988.]]
Uganda's age of horror didn't end after the monster Amin fell from power. The government of Tanzania returned Milton Obote to power, and he returned Uganda to its previously scheduled programming. When Obote started cracking down on the people again, many Ugandans finally decided they'd had enough. Military officer Yoweri Museveni and some armed supporters put together the National Resistance Army (NRA) to overthrow the Obote regime.<ref name="civwar">[https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/uganda3.htm The War in the Bush]. ''Global Security.''</ref> 

The NRA kicked off a grueling insurgency war against the government. Both sides of the war engaged in atrocities, massacring civilians based on ethnicity.<ref name="obotebad">[https://sites.tufts.edu/atrocityendings/2015/08/07/uganda-idi-amin-milton-obote-and-the-national-resistance-movement/ Uganda: 2nd Obote Regime]. ''Mass Atrocity Endings.''</ref> Museveni's forces also deliberately muddied the waters by dressing as government soldiers and attacking civilians, a brutal [[false flag]] tactic.<ref name="obotebad"/> The government predictably responded by becoming even more brutal towards civilians, the worst incident being the forced removal of 750,000 people from the countryside north of Kampala.<ref name="civwar"/> When the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) raised the alarm about these severe abuses, the Obote government expelled it from Uganda.<ref name="civwar"/> 

Obote started getting more erratic as the war dragged on. His attention became divided between Museveni's forces and opportunistic Amin loyalists. The army, continually mistreated and unrewarded, suffered a complete collapse in morale and order. By 1985, the situation had become untenable for Obote, and he fled Kampala in a helicopter just like Amin. Obote had seized much of the Ugandan treasury and hauled it off with him.<ref name="civwar"/> 

Obote went into exile in Zambia and died in 2005, having received and fucked up his second chance at power.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/oct/12/guardianobituaries.hearafrica05 Milton Obote]. ''The Guardian.''</ref>

===Museveni regime===
[[File:First Congo War map en.png|thumb|right|225px|Map of the allied invasion of the Congo.]]
{{cquote|Some people think that being in government for a long time is a bad thing. But the more you stay, the more you learn. I am now an expert in governance.|||Yoweri Museveni in 2012, apparently having had a change of heart since saying quote at the top of the page.<ref>[https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yoweri_Museveni Yoweri Museveni]. ''Wikiquote''.</ref>}}
And that's how it's been since 1986 since Museveni is still in power at the time of this writing. Museveni was an improvement over his predecessors due to lacking their sheer murderousness. Better, however, doesn't mean good. Museveni liberalized Uganda's economy and has seen some success in battling Africa's [[AIDS]] epidemic, but he's failed to deal with Uganda's crippling corruption problem.<ref name="yoweri">[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yoweri-Kaguta-Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni]. ''Britannica.''</ref>

He was far more destructive in near-distance foreign policy, supporting and exacerbating a wide variety of rebellions across the African continent. Apparently, the former rebel feels an affinity for other rebels. He got involved in the struggle between north and south [[Sudan]] and then intervened in South Sudan's immediate civil war.<ref name="yoweri"/> However, the worst of it came when Museveni started interfering with the ethnic wars in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and the surrounding areas. First, he backed the Tutsi ethnic group in the Rwandan Genocide, and then in 1998, he ordered his military to invade, occupy, and brutalize the eastern Congo for about five years.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/dec/20/congo.uganda Court orders Uganda to pay Congo damages]. ''The Guardian.''</ref>

===Lord's Resistance Army===
{{main|Lord's Resistance Army}}
If that wasn't enough, Uganda has also been fighting an ongoing civil war against the Lord's Resistance Army, led by [[Joseph Kony]]. The LRA took advantage of Uganda's fragile politics to wage an insurgency to impose a heterodox Christian theocracy on Uganda. Their interpretation of the [[Bible]] has apparently condoned [[rape]], landmines, facial mutilation of women, and the mass abduction and enslavement of children.<ref name="lra">[https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/lra.htm The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)]. ''Global Security.''</ref> Uganda has wisely teamed up with several neighbors to put down the insurgency. 

As of 2015, the group has been severely weakened, although it's still stubbornly staying in the game. The LRA has kidnapped an estimated 67,000 children to be used as child soldiers, sex slaves, and porters.<ref>[https://enoughproject.org/conflicts/lra Lord’s Resistance Army]. ''Enough! Project.''</ref>  Amnesty International reported that the LRA would have few combatants without child abductions.<ref name="lra"/>

==Government==
[[File:Yoweri Museveni, President, Uganda (6923079355).jpg|thumb|right|325px|An affable-looking dictator, but a dictator nonetheless.]]
===Yoweri Museveni===
{{cquote|You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.|||Harvey Dent, ''The Dark Knight.''<ref>[https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_(film) The Dark Knight (film)]. ''Wikiquote.''</ref>}}
Uganda is effectively a dictatorship run by Yoweri Museveni. [[Animal Farm|Once considered a freedom fighter who fought against evil dictators, Museveni has slowly turned into a dictator himself]]. Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President of Uganda is both the head of state and head of government. In a measure ostensibly designed to reduce sectarian violence, Museveni banned political parties in 1986.<ref name="pol">{{wpa|Politics of Uganda|}}</ref> A constitutional referendum overturned that ban in 2005, but that still didn't shake Museveni's grip on power.

===Rigged elections===
Since 2005, Museveni has dutifully maintained the appearance of being an elected leader by staging fraudulent elections. 2005 marked Uganda's first multi-party elections, and the country failed that test. Riot police cracked down on opposition supporters with teargas while the ruling party committed massive voter fraud, bringing Museveni to victory with 59% of the official vote.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4750040.stm Uganda's Museveni wins election]. ''BBC News.''</ref> 

In the 2011 election, Museveni spent taxpayer money to bribe election officials into declaring his victory with an official 68% of the vote.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/20/ugandan-leader-wins-presidential-election Ugandan leader wins presidential election rejected as fraudulent by opposition]. ''The Guardian.''</ref> [[European Union]] observers also noted a large military presence outside of most polling places, which created an atmosphere of intimidation towards voters.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uganda-election-idUSTRE71J0EV20110220 Uganda's Yoweri Museveni wins disputed presidential election]. ''Reuters.''</ref> He then ordered cops to crack down on the subsequent protests. 

Most recently, Museveni won the 2016 elections in a process widely described as "shambolic". He celebrated that victory by putting the opposition candidate under house arrest and then arresting many of his supporters.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/feb/22/ugandan-elections-polls-fraud-yoweri-museveni Ugandan elections marred by shambolic polls and claims of fraud]. ''The Guardian.''</ref> 

[[File:Kabaka Palace in Kampala.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Palace of the King of Buganda.]]

In 2017, Museveni went further by creating the conditions for him to rule as president for life. He had the Ugandan legislature strike down age limits in the constitution, meaning that Museveni could theoretically run for president as many times as he wished.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/world/africa/uganda-president-museveni-age-limit.html Uganda Lifts an Age Limit, Paving the Way for a President for Life]. ''New York Times.''</ref> No less than six members of Parliament were arrested for opposing the measure.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42434809 Uganda MPs vote to scrap presidential age limit]. ''BBC News.''</ref>

===Subnational monarchies===
Uganda also has several monarchies that largely exercise cultural autonomy rights alongside its other administrative divisions. The kingdoms are Toro, Busoga, Bunyoro, Buganda, and Rwenzururu. The monarchies were restored after Yoweri Museveni came to power; he had used the promise of restoration to gain popular support for his rebellion.<ref>[https://www.csmonitor.com/1996/0711/071196.intl.intl.2.html Power of the Buganda: Uganda's Kings Return]. ''Christian Science Monitor.''</ref> 

These kings wield some powers, mainly concerning cultural functions and disbursing tax money the kingdom receives from the government.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/04/18/uganda.teen.king/index.html Ugandan king turns 18, takes full control]. ''CNN.''</ref>

The relationship between government and kingdom has not always been amicable. The kings want more power and to become full states within Uganda, while Museveni has worked hard to limit their ambitions and keep them politically neutral.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123710230 Kingdom, Government Clash In Uganda]. ''NPR.''</ref>

===Diplomatic embarrassments===
In October of 2022, Museveni's son, the General {{wpl|Muhoozi Kainerugabi||,}} went on a [[Twitter]] rampage threatening to invade [[Kenya]]. The resulting embarrassment has forced Museveni to apologize to Kenya for his national embarrassment of a son. His son is also a notorious [[troll]], notable feats including tweeting that he'd send "100 cattle" to the new [[Italian]] PM {{wpl|Giorgia Meloni}} for being "[[fascism|fearless and true]]".<ref>"[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63136511 Uganda's president sorry for son Muhoozi Kainerugaba's threat to invade Kenya]" - [[BBC]]</ref>

==Human rights==
[[File:Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill protest.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Protests in NYC against Uganda's anti-gay laws.]]
===Homophobia===
Uganda has been described as the 'world's worst place to be [[gay]]' (right after [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[Iran]]), and the [[death penalty]] may soon be introduced for homosexuality.<ref>''The World's Worst Place to be Gay''; Documentary on the [[BBC]] presented by Scott Mills</ref> The Anti-Homosexuality Bill would allow the death penalty to be extended to citizens who have previous convictions, are [[HIV]] positive, or engage in sex acts with people under 18 years of age. The bill includes provisions for Ugandans who engage in homosexual acts outside of the state and who may be extradited. It also has penalties for companies, individuals, or media organizations supporting gay rights.<ref>{{wpa|Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014}}</ref> Unsurprisingly, the prevalent homophobic attitude owes much to the influence of Christian churches under the leadership of [[Scott Lively]], which receives a significant amount of funding from [[evangelical]] organizations in the [[USA]].<ref>Tim Walker, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/how-uganda-was-seduced-by-antigay-conservative-evangelicals-9193593.html "How Uganda was seduced by anti-gay conservative evangelicals"], ''The Independent'', 14 March 2014</ref> The bill was passed by Parliament in December 2013 and signed into law in February 2014 but annulled by the Constitutional Court that August.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28605400 Uganda court annuls anti-homosexuality law], BBC News</ref> In 2023, Uganda passed a law that calls for the death penalty for "aggrivated homosexuality".<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/30/ugandas-president-signs-repressive-anti-lgbt-law Uganda’s President Signs Repressive Anti-LGBT Law], Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, ''Human Rights Watch'' 30 May 2023</ref>

In June 2012, the country's "[[bullshit|ethics and integrity minister]]", Simon Lokodo, announced a ban on 38 LGBT-related NGOs.<ref>David Smith, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/20/uganda-bans-organisations-promoting-homosexuality "Uganda bans 38 organisations accused of 'promoting homosexuality'"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 20 June 2012</ref>

==Religion==
===Kanungu cult massacre===
In March 2000, between 700 and 1000 followers of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a [[Roman Catholic]] splinter group, were killed by its leadership in Kanungu province in southwest Uganda, mostly trapped inside a church which was then set on fire. The Movement was founded in the late 1980s by Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kibweteere (who both claimed to have seen visions of the [[Virgin Mary]]) and others, including defrocked nuns and other former Catholics; it called for strict adherence to the [[Ten Commandments]] and had several strange prohibitions including reportedly bans on sex and soap. The cause of the massacre is unclear, but the most likely explanation is that they had been expecting the [[Apocalypse]] on 31 December 1999, many selling their possessions and making other preparations, and when it failed to happen, the church members grew angry or restless; there are claims of murder or torture in the run-up to the massacre. It is believed the Movement's five leaders all perished in the fire, although that isn't confirmed, and there are still rumors that they are in east Africa.<ref>{{wpa|Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51821411 Uganda's Kanungu cult massacre that killed 700 followers], Patience Atuhaire, BBC News, 17 March 2020</ref>

==Cinema==
Uganda is also home to a movie studio called {{wpl|Wakaliwood}}, located in the slums of Kampala, Uganda's capital. Run by Isaac Godfrey Geoffrey Nabwana, they make action movies on meager budgets (usually around $200), with their most famous movies being ''{{wpl|Who Killed Captain Alex?}}'' and ''{{wpl|Bad Black}}.'' Their movies have an international cult following.<ref>Vibeke Venema, [https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32531558 Uganda’s Tarantino and his $200 action movies], BBC 13 May 2015</ref>

==Gallery==
<center><gallery widths=225px heights=225px>
File:KampalaSkyline.jpg|Kampala skyline.
File:Roasted beef on sticks in Kampala, Uganda.JPG|Roasting beef skewers.
File:Uganda GV5 lo (4108162183).jpg|Coffee fields in southern Uganda.
File:Cultural celebrations resumed with the end of the LRA conflict in Northern Uganda (7269658432).jpg|Festival in northern Uganda.
File:Uganda - ad on van in Kampala.jpg|Mobile phone ad in Kampala.
</gallery></center>


==See also==
*[[Invisible Children]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
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[[Category:African countries]]
[[Category:Authoritarian regimes]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]

Categories: African countries, Authoritarian regimes, Homophobia