Uganda faces mounting calls to end internet blackout before elections

Amnesty International says internet blackout ‘especially alarming’ as election campaign ‘marred by massive repression’.Published On 14 Jan 2026Uganda is facing mounting calls to lift a nationwide internet blackout before a contentious election, with the United Nations saying the government-imposed restrictions are “deeply worrying”.In a social media post on Wednesday, the UN-human-rights-office" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="11597" data-entity-type="organization">UN Human Rights Office stressed that “open access to communication & information is key to free & genuine elections”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Uganda, Elections & the Internetlist 2 of 3What’s at stake in Uganda’s presidential election?list 3 of 3Uganda cuts internet days before presidential electionend of list“All Ugandans must be able to take part in shaping their future & the future of their country,” it said.The call comes a day after a Ugandan government regulatory body instructed mobile network operators to block public internet access, starting on Tuesday evening, as the East African country readied for a January 15 general election.Internet monitor NetBlocks said in its latest update on Wednesday that Uganda was “in the midst of a widespread internet shutdown”.“Far from halting misinformation, the measure is likely to limit transparency and increase the risk of vote fraud,” the group warned.The government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, 81, has been accused of overseeing a years-long crackdown on its critics, arresting political opposition leaders and their supporters.Museveni is being challenged in Thursday’s vote by pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, whose campaign rallies have been routinely disrupted by the Ugandan authorities.The UN-human-rights-office" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="11597" data-entity-type="organization">UN Human Rights Office last week warned that Ugandans would be heading to the polls amid “widespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views”.