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Uganda

November 21, 2025

When courts become weapons: how Chad jailed its opposition leader

Michael Asiedu Chad's 20-year conviction of opposition leader Succès Masra reveals how African courts have become weaponised against dissent. Across the continent, writes Michael Asiedu, from Benin to Uganda, authoritarian regimes are increasingly using fabricated charges to silence opponents. This, he says, masks repression behind democratic facades, erodes judicial independence, and weakens the prospects for genuine democratic transition Read more

September 8, 2025

How international aid inadvertently props up autocratic regimes

Guido Maschhaupt Many regard cash transfer programmes as cost-efficient tools to alleviate poverty across the Global South. But, as Guido Maschhaupt and Ahmed El Assal argue, in autocratic contexts, these programmes can have unintended – and politically significant – consequences. By supporting them, international aid donors may advertently bolster authoritarian regimes Read more

April 8, 2022

🌊 The sad state of democracy in Uganda and Rwanda

Hannah Muzee The new democratically oriented regimes that emerged in Rwanda and Uganda after the 1980s aspired to overcome postcolonial sectarianism. Those aspirations now appear largely to have receded, argue Hannah Muzee and Femi Mimiko, as both regimes have drifted into personalised politics and illiberal practices Read more

March 8, 2022

Bicycles could ‘build back stronger’ post-Covid – but may have unintended consequences

Lyndsay Hayhurst Women and girls’ increased access to bicycles can support sustainable development, says the UN. Yet, write Lyndsay Hayhurst and Mitchell McSweeney, the bicycle may also exacerbate gender inequality Read more

March 7, 2022

Adolescent girls face severe threats in crisis and conflict – and we must listen to them

Katrina Lee-Koo Despite the prevalence of security threats facing adolescent girls in conflict and crisis contexts, write Katrina Lee-Koo and Eleanor Gordon, they are rarely engaged in efforts to identify or address these threats. This enables the continuation of high levels of violence against them and compromises peace-building efforts Read more

September 18, 2021

The EU’s human rights policy is deficient, but not in the way you might think

Johanne Døhlie Saltnes The EU often faces criticism for conducting an inconsistent and arbitrary human rights policy. This critique is misguided and overlooks a more fundamental problem with the policy, argues Johanne Døhlie Saltnes: that it tends to be executive-driven, precluding the participation of individuals and affected groups Read more

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