An explosive open letter from the Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network has thrust Uganda’s post-election crisis onto the continental stage, accusing state security forces of orchestrating systematic sexual violence and public humiliation against women following the January 2026 general elections.
The network, led by Kenyan opposition leader and senior advocate Martha Karua, describes the abuses as a grave African human rights emergency that demands urgent international intervention, warning that silence would amount to complicity.
According to the letter, women linked to opposition figures and dissenting voices have become deliberate targets in what is described as a calculated campaign of political repression. The authors argue that sexual violence has been weaponised to punish, intimidate and silence perceived opponents of the state.
Among the most harrowing incidents cited is the January 22 raid on the home of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. The letter recounts how armed men allegedly broke into the residence and subjected his wife, Barbara Itungo Kyagulanyi, to gang rape in what the network calls a “deliberate act of terror meant to break both family and movement.”
The statement also highlights a series of abductions and abuses involving prominent women, including opposition figure Dr. Lina Zedriga, painting a disturbing picture of enforced disappearances, incommunicado detention and sexual assault allegedly carried out by or with the knowledge of state security agencies.
“These are not isolated incidents,” the letter states, asserting that the violations point to an organised pattern of abuse designed to crush political dissent through fear, trauma and shame inflicted on women.
The Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network has called for immediate, independent investigations under the auspices of the African Union, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council. The group is demanding accountability for all those responsible, regardless of rank or office.
In a rare direct appeal, the letter addresses President Yoweri Museveni and his son, the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, urging them to immediately halt the abuses, rein in security forces and guarantee the safety and dignity of Ugandan women.
The authors warn that failure to act will not only deepen Uganda’s crisis but also set a dangerous precedent across the continent, where sexual violence could increasingly be used as a political weapon.
As the letter circulates widely across Africa and beyond, pressure is mounting on regional and international bodies to respond, with activists insisting that justice for the victims must no longer be delayed