Ugandans Rally at Turkish Embassy Seeking Dissident's Extradition
Hundreds demonstrated outside Turkey's embassy in Kampala, demanding the extradition of dissident Fred Lumbuye, wanted on propaganda and cybercrime charges.
Hundreds of Ugandans gathered outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala on Friday to press for the extradition of Fred Lumbuye, a dissident who has spent years in Turkey and whose online commentary on Ugandan politics is treated by authorities at home as anti-government propaganda.
The demonstration was organised by the Patriotic League of Uganda, a group chaired by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the country's military chief. Fadil Twalla, the group's secretary-general, told those assembled that they had come not as opponents of the Turkish people but as Ugandans disappointed by the situation. He said Lumbuye has used Turkish territory to attack the country's leadership.
Lumbuye is wanted in Uganda on allegations involving harmful propaganda, incitement and cybercrimes, according to Twalla. Efforts to obtain comment from Lumbuye were unsuccessful, and his legal status in Turkey remains unclear. His posts about Ugandan politics are viewed by thousands, giving him a reach that critics inside the country do not enjoy.
Kainerugaba, the eldest son of President Yoweri Museveni, has spent months criticising Turkish authorities over the matter. Earlier plans for a rally at the embassy were postponed repeatedly while diplomats sought to resolve the dispute. In posts on X earlier this year, Kainerugaba demanded $1 billion from Turkish authorities and the country's "most beautiful woman" to avert the severing of diplomatic ties or the closure of the embassy.
In recent months Kainerugaba has emerged as Uganda's de facto leader, wielding influence that may exceed that of the 82-year-old Museveni. He has said he will run for the presidency in 2031, when Museveni's current term ends, and the Patriotic League of Uganda is collecting signatures in a symbolic show of support for that ambition.
The friction with Turkey also touches on the Horn of Africa, where Ugandan peacekeepers have for years backed Somalia's weak federal government against al-Shabab militants, said Angelo Izama, an analyst with the Uganda-based Fanaka Kwawote think tank. Turkey, he noted, has grown more influential and has become a more attractive security partner for Somalia. Uganda is expected to withdraw all its troops from Somalia by August 2027.