Uganda

Europe

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

The leader of Uganda's opposition National Unity Platform, or NUP, Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, called for a freeze on aid and development financing to Uganda, arguing this aid was funding government repression against the opposition, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 8.

Uganda: Opposition Leader Calls for Aid Freeze Over Government Crackdown Ahead of General Election 

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk condemned the Ugandan government's growing repression of opposition parties -- including the National Unity Platform party, or NUP -- in the runup to Uganda's January 2026 general election, according to a Dec. 3 press release from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Uganda: U.N. Condemns Rising Violence as Election Campaign Heats Up

The National Unity Platform, the party of opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi (aka Bobi Wine), announced that security forces have detained more than 300 of its supporters and officials since campaigning for the January 2026 election began in October, Reuters reported Nov. 25.

Uganda: Opposition Reports More Than 300 Supporters Detained Ahead of Election

South Sudan

Sudan

A faction within South Sudan's opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In-Opposition party (SPLM-IO), which supports suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, called for armed mobilization to pursue "regime change," AFP reported on Sept.15.

South Sudan: Opposition Demands Regime Change After Treason Charges Filed Against First Vice President

Ugandan security forces violently abducted Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the deputy spokesperson of the opposition National Unity Platform, or NUP, while he was leaving a court hearing in Kampala on Sept. 8, The Monitor reported on Sept. 9.

Uganda: Abduction of Opposition Figure Portends Rising Political Tensions

Ethiopia

Kenya

Egypt

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls on Aug. 21 with his counterparts from Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya during which he stressed Egypt's "categorical rejection of unilateral measures" on the eastern Nile Basin and said "water security" was "existential" for Egypt, Addis Standard reported on Aug. 22.

Egypt: Cairo Courts Upstream Nile Basin States With Promise of Development Support  

Burundi

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Tanzania

China

Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye inaugurated the start of works on a new $2.15 billion, 300-kilometer (about 186-mile) Standard Gauge Railway that will connect Tanzania's eastern city of Uvinza to the Burundian town of Musongati, The Chanzo reported on Aug. 17.

Tanzania: Government Kicks Off Construction of $2.15B Standard Gauge Railway to Burundi

Kenyan President William Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed eight memorandums of understanding and vowed to tackle nontariff barriers hindering regional trade, the Daily Monitor reported on July 30.

Kenya, Uganda: Governments Expand Bilateral Cooperation With Focus on Trade, Transport Infrastructure

Assessments

Benin

Canada

United States

Venezuela

Greenland

Iran

Denmark

The Greenlandic flag on Jan. 8, 2026, on the roof of Tivoli Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Uganda and Benin, Canada's Carney Goes to China

Supporters of National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate and opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, gather to attend a campaign rally in Kampala, on Nov. 24, 2025. 

President Museveni's expected reelection is set to trigger opposition protests, but a heavy-handed crackdown will likely restore order within weeks, enabling him to resume focus on infrastructure projects and mitigating intra-elite tensions.

Previewing Uganda's General Elections

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Kenya and Tanzania's infrastructure buildup will support East Africa's industrialization but will also depend on a range of other factors, including regional integration, shifts in the international trading system and technological changes.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Race to Unlock East Africa, Part 2

Malawi

Mozambique

Zambia

Japan

Over the next decade, Kenya and Tanzania will compete for the title of East Africa's leading trade gateway, particularly as global demand for Central Africa's critical minerals grows. 

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Race to Unlock East Africa, Part 1 

Columns

On Geopolitics

Chad

Somalia

United Arab Emirates

Shipping containers are offloaded from a vessel at Berbera Port in Somaliland on Aug. 31, 2021.   (ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images)

The UAE is expanding its influence across East Africa through large-scale investments and security partnerships, aiming to consolidate its status as a global trade hub and counter regional competitors, at the risk of entangling regional states in broader geopolitical contests.

The UAE's Long Game in East Africa

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (right) waves as he arrives in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 9, 2024, for the launch of new peace talks with rebel groups.

Rising political tensions risk collapsing the peace deal that ended the country's last civil war, while escalating clashes in the north risk drawing in involvement from Sudan's warring parties.

South Sudan Hurtles Toward Another Civil War

Members of the M23 rebel group are seen in Bukavu, eastern Congo, after the takeover of the city on Feb. 20, 2025.

Burundi's reported troop withdrawal and Uganda's apparent unwillingness to intervene against the AFC/M23 rebel group will limit the immediate risk of an escalating interstate conflict, but this could change if the rebels start advancing toward central Congo.

Assessing the Risk of an Expanded Conflict in Congo

Angola

An M23 fighter stands in the foreground as detained Congolese soldiers are loaded onto trucks on Jan. 30, 2025, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Unless the Congolese government agrees to enter direct talks, Rwanda-backed rebels will likely resume their advance toward the city of Bukavu, whose fall would expose Congo to mounting instability, including nationwide unrest and a potential military coup.

Fighting in Eastern Congo Reaches a Crossroads as Rebels Press Southward

Ghana

Nigeria

Australia

Philippines

United Kingdom

India

A motorcyclist looks at his phone in front of a National Electoral Council poster promoting the upcoming presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 23, 2024.

Global Elections

The Weekly Rundown: An Election in Venezuela, Economic Reforms in the U.K.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Cote d'Ivoire

Eritrea

Senegal

Togo

People flee their neighborhoods in Khartoum, Sudan, amid fighting between the army and paramilitary troops on April 19, 2023. 

Government institutions in eastern and western Africa remain relatively strong, but potential succession crises, simmering unrest and weak leaders still pose latent risks.

Assessing the Risk of Future African Coups, Part 2: West and East Africa

Snapshots

A Ugandan citizen watches a television broadcast of lawmakers holding a session on an anti-LGBTQ bill in the country's parliament on March 21, 2023. 

Social Issues

The likely adoption of one of the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ laws could deprive Uganda of critical Western aid and investment by raising the reputational risks of engaging with the country.

Uganda's Anti-LGBTQ Bill Risks Deterring Foreign Aid and Business

Brazil

South Korea

Portugal

Spain

U.S. and South Korean flags are waved March 10, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea.

The Weekly Rundown: South Korea's President Meets Biden, Lula Pushes Spain on EU Trade

Landlocked Uganda is bordered by South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Rwanda and Tanzania to the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. The East African country has been recognized as one of the birthplaces of humanity, and its history stretches long into the past. In fact, its recent political trajectory was profoundly influenced by British exploration and colonization at the end of the 19th century. However, its geography and ethnic makeup have had a much deeper effect than British colonialism. For one, the country contains a significant portion of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake and the world’s largest tropical lake. The lake has provided a transport artery for regional residents for hundreds &mdash; if not thousands &mdash; of years, helping facilitate trade and fasten more shared identities in this region as opposed perhaps to other African regions.    The lake's trade benefits do not make up for the country's lack of easy access to an ocean and the international markets beyond, a situation that increases the costs of imports and exports to provide one of Uganda's chief challenges. In order to help manage this issue, Uganda must maintain positive relations with at least one of its ocean-facing neighbors, Kenya and Tanzania. This helps to explain why the Ugandan government has been a firm believer in regional integration into the East African Community. The fostering of closer ties helps bind the countries closer together in terms of political and economic relations. Relatedly, the shared ties and foreign interest in resources and goods of the region have helped spur infrastructure development in recent years, from which Uganda has benefited.    In addition to external challenges, Uganda must manage its diverse internal ethnographic makeup. The country is home to many ethnic and linguistic groups, providing an additional difficulty in governance. The country’s leaders have not always managed this diversity well, with ethnic clashes and outright cleansing in the past. To overcome these issues, the country has more often than not turned to strongman rule to oversee the political system.

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in southwestern Uganda, at the borders of Uganda, Congo and Rwanda. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Uganda: Opposition Leader Calls for Aid Freeze Over Government Crackdown Ahead of General Election

Uganda: U.N. Condemns Rising Violence as Election Campaign Heats Up

Uganda: Opposition Reports More Than 300 Supporters Detained Ahead of Election

South Sudan: Opposition Demands Regime Change After Treason Charges Filed Against First Vice President

Uganda: Abduction of Opposition Figure Portends Rising Political Tensions

Egypt: Cairo Courts Upstream Nile Basin States With Promise of Development Support

Tanzania: Government Kicks Off Construction of $2.15B Standard Gauge Railway to Burundi

Kenya, Uganda: Governments Expand Bilateral Cooperation With Focus on Trade, Transport Infrastructure

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