Uganda’s government had on Wednesday lambasted the United States’ expansion of visa restrictions against its officials, blaming Washington of pushing an “LGBT program” in Africa.
The latest visa restriction was announced on Monday and it targets unidentified officials the U.S. considers responsible for subverting democracy and repressing marginalised groups in Uganda, including the LGBTQ+ community.
Uganda had approved one of the world’s strictest anti-gay laws in May 2023. This law called for the death penalty for specific same-sex acts.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Okello Oryem had said to Reuters:
“There’s a coup at the U.S. State Department. It is being led by people who are campaigning for the LGBT agenda in Africa.”
This particular Ugandan law’s enactment has let loose, a torrent of abuse against LGBTQ people, mainly committed by private individuals, according to a rights groups in a September report.
The United States enforced a first round of visa restrictions on Ugandan officials in response to the law in June, and the World Bank stopped lending currency to the country in August.
