Hundreds rally at Turkey’s embassy in Uganda to demand a dissident’s extradition

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Hundreds of Ugandans demonstrated outside the Turkish Embassy on Friday to demand the extradition of a dissident whose online activities are seen by local authorities as anti-government propaganda.

The dissident, Fred Lumbuye, has lived for years in Turkey, but his legal status there is unclear. His posts about Ugandan politics are viewed by thousands, giving him a unique platform and influence not available to critics at home.

The rally outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, was called by the Patriotic League of Uganda, a group whose chair is military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

“We have gathered here today not as enemies of Turkish people but as patriots of Uganda who are deeply disappointed,” said Fadil Twalla, the group’s secretary-general. “(Lumbuye) is based in Turkey and has continued to use the territory to attack our national leadership.”

Lumbuye is wanted in Uganda over allegations relating to harmful propaganda, incitement and cybercrimes, Twalla said. It was not possible to get a comment from Lumbuye.

Kainerugaba, the eldest child of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has railed against Turkish authorities for months. His previous plans for a rally at the embassy were repeatedly postponed as diplomats tried to resolve the issue.

Kainerugaba, in posts on X, earlier this year demanded $1 billion from Turkish authorities as well as that country’s “most beautiful woman” to escape the threat of severing diplomatic ties or closing the embassy.

Kainerugaba has emerged in recent months as Uganda’s de facto leader, perhaps even more powerful than the 82-year-old Museveni. Kainerugaba says he will seek the presidency in 2031, when Museveni’s current term expires, and the Patriotic League of Uganda is currently mobilizing signatures of Ugandans in a symbolic show of support for Kainerugaba’s presidential ambitions.

Uganda’s issues with Turkey also extend to tensions in the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia, where Ugandan peacekeepers for years have backed the weak federal government against al-Shabab militants, said Angelo Izama, an analyst with the Uganda-based Fanaka Kwawote think tank.

Turkey has become more influential and a more desirable security partner for Somalia, Izama said. Uganda is expected to withdraw all its troops from Somalia by August 2027.