Press Release on the Suspension of Public Internet Access, Selected Mobile Services and Civil Society Organizations’ Permits during the Election Period in Uganda.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) has been informed of the suspension of public internet access, and the recurrent restrictions on the rights to freedom of association and assembly in the Republic of Uganda on the eve of the general elections on 15 January 2026.
The Commission is deeply concerned by the directive of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) dated 13 January 2026, referenced ECO/436, directing all licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to suspend (a) public internet access; (b) the sale and registration of new SIM cards; and (c) outbound data roaming services to One Network Area countries. The directive further reportedly requires the blocking of all public internet traffic, including access to social media platforms, web browsing, video streaming services, personal email services, and messaging applications. The suspension is also reported to extend to mobile broadband (cellular), fibre optic services, leased lines, fixed wireless access, microwave radio links, and satellite internet services.
Furthermore, the Commission is deeply concerned by the decision of the National Bureau for NGOs under the Ministry of Interior of Uganda to suspend with immediate effect, from 9 January 2026, the permits of a number of civil society organizations, including Chapter Four Uganda, National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Uganda, the Uganda National NGO Forum, the Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), the Human Rights Network for Journalists - Uganda (HRN-J) and the African Centre for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV).
The Commission considers that these decisions restrict the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly as well as the right to participate in public affairs recognized to Ugandan citizens, under Articles 9, 10, 11 and 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter) and other ratified relevant instruments. The decisions also infringe on the rights of the Ugandan people who benefited from the activities of these NGOs.
The Commission recalls its resolutions on the situation of human rights defenders in Africa, in particular Resolution ACHPR/Res.104(XXXXI)07, which calls on States Parties to “ take all the necessary measures to ensure the protection of all human rights defenders and ensure that they have an environment which allows them to carry out their activities safely, without suffering any acts of violence, threats, reprisals, discrimination, pressure and any arbitrary acts by State or non-State actors as a result of their human rights activities.”
Additionally, the Commission recalls Resolution ACHPR/Res.648 (LXXXV) 2025 on Strengthening Electoral Integrity in Africa which emphasises the crucial role played by citizen observers in providing oversight and accountability in electoral processes through election observation and monitoring across the continent; and reaffirms that electoral democracy and rule of law cannot be consolidated on the African continent without the cultivation of an open and safe civic space that facilitates citizen participation, either individually or through civic organizations and political groupings.
While reserving the right to engage through urgent appeals letters on these issues, the Commission respectfully invites the Government of Uganda to:
a) Immediately restore full internet access and mobile communication services;
b) Immediately reinstate the permits of all suspended Civil Society Organizations;
c) Take all necessary measures to end restrictions on civic space and respect for all rights guaranteed by the African Charter and other relevant instruments;
d) Implement recommendations of the Guidelines on Freedom of Association and Assembly in Africa as well as the relevant resolutions adopted by the Commission;
e) Guarantee that any restrictions on fundamental rights comply strictly with Uganda’s obligations under the African Charter and other relevant regional and international human rights instruments and;
f) Take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of journalists, human rights defenders, civil society actors, and the general population during the electoral period.
Banjul, 14 January 2026.
Honorable Commissioner Geereesha Tospy-Sonoo
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
Honourable Commissioner Rémy Ngoy Lumbu
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Focal Point on Reprisals and Focal Point on Judicial Independence in Africa.
Honorable Commissioner Zachariah Mwandenga
Commissioner Responsible for Monitoring the Human Rights Situation in the Republic of Uganda.
