Museveni, EU move to mend relations after tough parliamentary resolutions

About one week since the European Union (EU) Parliament made a raft of resolutions condemning human rights violations and punching holes in the credibility of Uganda’s January 14 elections, the regional body’s delegation and the Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni seem to be close to resolving their differences.

Kampala, through foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa, had taken only four days to respond to the allegations, most of which government says were peppered with bias and sounded like an attack on the impoverished East African country’s sovereignty.

If the statement by EU head of delegation in Uganda Attilio Pacifici is anything to go by, then the two sides could be so close to the mending of relations.

Ahead of the meeting ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretariat members in the capital Kampala on February 17, Pacifici sought to assure the two sides — EU and Uganda — that there was no cause for alarm.

Pacifici blamed fake news for the ‘perceived’ bad blood between Uganda and the EU.

“Someone is creating problems between the European Union and the government,” he claimed.

“There is a lot of false information circulating and this is spoiling our relationship that has existed for years.”

Pacifici and his delegation were expected to meet Museveni in his capacities as head of state and NRM chairperson on February 18.

The EU delegation has previously met Bobi Wine and his National Unity Platform (NUP) team, praising them for choosing to petition court instead of resorting to violence.