Uganda blocks operations of UN rights office in the country

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan authorities say they will not renew the mandate of the United Nations human rights office in the East African country, effectively blocking the group’s operations at a time of heightened concerns over rights abuses. In a Feb. 3 notice to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that local authorities have “the capacity to monitor the promotion and protection of human rights throughout the country.” The U.N. rights office in Kampala has been the scene in recent years of some protests by activists and others trying to highlight rights violations perpetrated by Ugandan state agents.