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21.04.2021 Feature Article

USA is blackmailing Museveni with visa restrictions

USA is blackmailing Museveni with visa restrictions
21.04.2021 LISTEN

I'm always intrigued by America's foreign policy -- They usually try to appease even those they do not support. Now, look at these visa restrictions on some Uganda government officials —they know that putting visa restrictions on Mr.Museveni, his family or anybody close to him, is tantamount to ending any US corporation with Museveni – the one agent America relies on in sub-Saharan Africa.

So, I am sure they must have called Museveni to ask him if he had any big shots he could sacrifice for this symbolic purpose. And I suspect the conversation went along the following lines:

USA caller: Your excellency, sir, we have to show the world that we mean what we said during Uganda’s elections. So, we are thinking ‘visa restrictions on those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda’

Museveni: But I genuinely won this time. That Kyagulanyi was voted for in the central by his tribemates, and we didn’t interfere with him at all. We only came in during the campaigns when he was trying to spread Covid with his many big crowds – I’m sure you can understand that, can't you?

USA caller: Mr. President, sir,… With due respect, a lot of people were killed in November 2020, and this is something we cannot be seen to be ignoring.

Museveni: Those hooligans wanted to burn buildings in Kampala – they were even throwing stones at my soldiers and police. If we had not acted quickly to put some of them down, Uganda would have been taken back, like, 100 years. So, its good we acted quickly, and we should be appreciated.

USA caller: OK, granted, but we still need to talk about the visa restrictions. Is there someone you think would be willing to sacrifice themselves for this cause?

Museveni: I hate sacrificing my cadres, especially the good ones, but I’m thinking Ofwono Opondo and Enanga – those ones don’t need to travel.

USA caller: Those are ok but aren’t big dogs. We are thinking Chief Justice owinyi Dollo and EC chairman Byabakama , what do you say,sir?

Museveni: Oh! I didn’t know that Dollo looked big to you. I will speak to them, both, before you make your announcements, but we must continue with our dialogue on different issues, other than elections.

USA caller: Thank you, excellency, especially for your understanding.

Personally, I think the Americans are blackmailing Museveni over some of his dealings with the Chinese and North Koreans – they aren’t happy with him. And if he doesn’t sort it out, he will continue getting problems from them. For instance, When George Bush Senior was head of the CIA, Noriega of Panama, pretended to be an enemy of the Russians – so the US would ignore all his excesses, particularly his involvement as a drug trafficker. Noriega realized he could make money shipping the drugs, by siding with the communists, and that is when the US invaded Panama.

Similarly, China is a serious thing on the US radar and a very tricky thing for all dictators in Africa. That said, I don’t expect the Americans to engineer a removal of Museveni from power when they don’t have another intelligent ‘agent’ to take over. History has taught the USA a lesson – never to get involved in conflicts without a winning strategy.

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