Bobi Wine, in Hiding, Calls for Sanctions Against Ugandan President in Geneva Summit Address

GENEVA — Hidden away in an undisclosed location, Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine addressed the 18th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on Wednesday, delivering a fiery condemnation of last month’s presidential election and calling for international sanctions against longtime leader Yoweri Museveni.

Speaking via a live YouTube broadcast from hiding, the musician-turned-politician rejected the official results of the January 15, 2026, election, which gave Museveni 71.65 percent of the vote. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, declared himself the “people’s true president” and urged the global community to impose sanctions on Museveni, his son, and key regime supporters.

“I am speaking to you today from hiding, but my voice is the voice of millions of Ugandans who have been robbed of their future,” Wine said during his address, which was part of a lineup featuring dissidents from around the world. “The election was not just flawed; it was a complete fraud, engineered to keep a dictatorship in power.”

Wine’s National Unity Platform had challenged Museveni’s nearly four-decade rule in the election. However, the vote was marred by widespread reports of violence, opposition arrests, and a near-total internet blackout that independent observers say severely hampered transparency.

The Geneva Summit, an annual platform for exiled and persecuted activists, provided Wine with an international stage despite the Ugandan government’s ongoing crackdown on opposition figures. In his remarks, he detailed the political persecution he claims to have endured and called on democratic nations to back Uganda’s pro-democracy movements.

“Sanctions must target not only Museveni but his entire apparatus—his son, who is being groomed for succession, and the military and security officials who enforce his will,” Wine stated.

As of Wednesday evening, the Ugandan government had not issued an official response to Wine’s address. However, state media outlets have previously dismissed the opposition’s fraud allegations as unfounded, maintaining that the election was free and fair.