Kampala, Uganda – What began as silence surrounding the mysterious disappearance of opposition figure Eddie Mutwe has erupted into a global firestorm, after Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, publicly admitted to detaining the security head of Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
Now, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) around the world including the influential NUP-USA Inc, are calling out the act as state-sanctioned terrorism accusing the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) of crossing a dangerous line by openly behaving more like a rogue militia than a constitutional military institution.
The blunt assessment shared by @NUPUSAInc in a widely shared social media post on X (formerly Twitter), where the group condemned Gen. Muhoozi’s confirmation that Eddie Mutwe is being held by the military without any known charges or legal proceedings.
“The CDF’s Twitter tirades are not just reckless, they expose a regime drunk on impunity. The U.S. government must condemn these blatant human rights abuses. Silence is complicity,” they wrote, tagging international heavyweights like CNN, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the ICC, Human Rights Watch, and the BBC.
Eddie Mutwe has long been more than just a bodyguard. To Uganda’s opposition, he is a frontline symbol of resistance, a protector of the man who dared to challenge President Museveni’s 39-year rule.
His abrupt disappearance earlier this month raised immediate red flags. Eyewitnesses say he was taken by armed men in plain clothes with no warrant, no explanation in Mukono.
For days, the government denied involvement. Then Gen. Muhoozi in what many are calling arrogant power play admitted the military had him, claiming Mutwe had things to answer for.
“I will only release Eddie to Mzee, when he gives me the order. He would have learnt the history of NRA/UPDF by then. And will understand that NRM is a party that represents the whole country. It can never be defeated,” posted Muhoozi.
Though details remain scarce, sources suggest Mutwe is being held in military custody likely at the Mbuya barracks or another classified location operated by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
Legal teams from the National Unity Platform have since filed for a habeas corpus demanding that the detained be produced in court, “dead or alive.”
The timing of this controversy couldn’t be more critical. Uganda is currently under the watchful eye of international human rights organizations many of which have documented a pattern of disappearances, arbitrary arrests and torture of opposition voices.
In recent months, figures like Michael Mpalanyi, Ssentongo Shakur and Douglas Nsambu have vanished under similar circumstances associates of Bobi Wine and NUP.
Human Rights Watch, the International Criminal Court and U.S. lawmakers are now being urged to investigate what some are calling a slow-motion genocide of political opposition.
Also Read: “Our People Are Missing!” Bobi Wine Slams State Over Political Abductions
