President Biden. Photo: Official/Wikimedia.
[Commentary]
President Joe Biden’s remarks before African leaders about “the pain” of slavery appear to have been a direct rebuke of Uganda’s Gen. Yoweri Museveni and came two days after Black Star News asked the White House and State Department why the dictator had been invited even after he’d once said people captured into slavery were “stupid.”
Black Star News also asked why Museveni was invited to the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit even after he’d once praised Hitler. Whether it was coincidence or not, Biden’s comments came after Black Star News sent e-mail messages about Museveni’s ugly comments.
The e-mail message sent on Dec. 12 by Black Star News read:
“Black Star News is working on an editorial for December 14 about the appropriateness of President Biden hosting the Ugandan dictator of 36 years Gen. Yoweri Museveni (who will join other African presidents) in The White House on Wednesday based on some past ugly statements he’s made about slavery and his praise of Hitler. With regard to slavery Museveni said to the Atlantic magazine in September 1994: ‘I have never blamed the whites for colonizing Africa: I have never blamed these whites for taking slaves. If you are stupid, you should be taken a slave.’
https://tinyurl.com/2s4ev8ce
With regard to Hitler, Museveni was quoted in a Ugandan weekly, The Shariat, in April 1998 as saying: ‘As Hitler did to bring Germany together, we should also do it here. Hitler was a smart guy, but I think he went a bit too far by wanting to conquer the world.’
What’s more, in 2018, a U.S. District Court convicted a Chinese operative Patrick Ho for bribing Museveni and his foreign minister Sam Kutesa $1 million. Ho was handed a three year prison-term.
https://tinyurl.com/5esxjrex
Museveni also has a horrific human rights record and has rigged multiple elections including in 2021 as noted by the State Department. We would welcome comments from either The State Department or The White House about these serious issues of concern, particularly with respect to his slavery and Hitler comments.”
Two days later, Biden, while hosting African leaders including Ugandan dictator Museveni on Dec. 15 in the White House for a formal dinner said, “Our people lie at the heart of the deep and profound connection that forever binds Africa and the United States together…We remember the stolen men and women and children were brought to our shores in chains, subjected to unimaginable cruelty.” In other words, Biden was telling the Ugandan dictator, these victims were not “stupid.”
Both the White House and The State Department also sent responses to the questions from Black Star News. Although they didn’t directly address the issue of Museveni’s ugly slavery and Hitler statements, the State Department’s statement made clear the Biden administration isn’t pleased with him.
The White House response focused on the fact that the invitations to African presidents were made to leaders of countries that were in “good standing” with the African Union, the continental body that promotes cooperation amongst African countries and is theoretically tasked with one day creating a United States of Africa.
The State Department’s response was more detailed and deplored “discrimination” and “xenophobia.” Even more interesting, the State Department’s response openly saluted civil society in Uganda who are engaged in exposing and wanting to end “ongoing” human rights abuses.
Attacks by Museveni’s armed forces on civilians suspected of supporting opposition party leaders escalated in the months before the 2021 presidential election, during the election, and after the election. More than 100 supporters of Robert Kyagulanyi, a.k.a. Bobi Wine were killed between November 17 and 18 when they protested against his arrest to disrupt his presidential campaign. After the 2021 election which Museveni stole from Bobi Wine, a campaign of kidnapping, torture, killings, and disappearances was unleashed in Uganda—hence the reference to “ongoing” human rights abuses by the State Department.
https://tinyurl.com/2r47zb5r
The State Department’s statement was issued while the Ugandan dictator was still in town. The U.S. wasn’t going to wait until he was out of the country before making its displeasure known to Museveni, who seized power 36 years ago when Ronald Reagan was president.
The statement issued to Black Star News by the State Department in part read:
“The United States remains focused on addressing racial discrimination, inequity, xenophobia, and intolerance worldwide, and this Summit is an important opportunity to reaffirm with African partners our shared commitment to respect human rights and strengthen democratic institutions. The United States will continue its efforts to advance democracy and promote respect for human rights and commends the members of civil society in Uganda working at the forefront to raise awareness and seek an end to ongoing human rights abuses.”
The Ugandan dictator was meant to attend a so-called “investors” meeting in Chicago from Dec. 16 through Dec. 17. However, he must have sent different vibes from the Biden administration in terms of Biden’s comments about slavery and the statement from the State Department. After opening the Chicago conference he quickly boarded his $50 million Gulf-stream jet purchased with stolen foreign aid money and flew out of the U.S.
The U.S. supports the Museveni regime with about $1 billion annually in American taxpayers’ money.
https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-uganda/
Museveni’s human rights abuses are well-documented on the website of the State Department. It seems the more abuses, the more U.S. support.
https://tinyurl.com/mr3762p6
