Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Nkunyingi Muwada has condemned recent threats allegedly made by Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, against U.S. Ambassador William Popp.
In a statement, Muwada called for immediate clarification and an official apology from Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning comments made by Gen. Muhoozi on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Muhoozi reportedly warned of “hell, destruction, and defeat” for the Ambassador and the U.S. government unless they apologised by October 7.
The reasons for Muhoozi’s grievances, however, remain unclear.
Muwada criticized Gen. Muhoozi’s remarks as reckless, asserting that they violate constitutional and diplomatic norms. “Formal diplomatic communication avenues must be used at all times and by rightful officials in Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry & Embassies globally,” he stated.
The opposition MP called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify whether these threats reflect the official stance of the Ugandan government and, if so, to explain the rationale behind them.
He further demanded that the Ministry retract Gen. Muhoozi’s statements and extend an apology to the U.S. government, expressing concern that such comments reflect a growing impunity among Ugandan state actors.
The alleged threats surfaced on Friday when Ugandans woke up to a series of tweets from Gen. Muhoozi, accusing Ambassador Popp of undermining the Ugandan government and disrespecting President Yoweri Museveni.
“We are about to have a serious confrontation with the current U.S. Ambassador…If he does not apologize to Mzee personally by Monday morning (9:00 a.m.)…we will demand he leaves Uganda,” Muhoozi posted.
While U.S. Embassy officials were reportedly taken by surprise and unsure of the basis for Gen. Muhoozi's comments, no official response from the Embassy had been issued.
The State Department emphasised the longstanding partnership between the United States and Uganda, highlighting the nearly $1 billion in annual support for various local programs aimed at improving the lives of Ugandans.
Mr. Popp, who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Uganda in September 2023, has not yet publicly responded to the recent statements from Gen. Muhoozi.
Meanwhile, Muwada urged the global community to support Ugandans in their pursuit of democratic governance, constitutionalism, and human rights protections.