The Ugandan military has confirmed it is holding a Catholic priest who was declared missing for about a fortnight, claiming he was involved in “violent subversive activities”.
In a short statement, the army stated that Father Deusdedit Ssekabira had been arrested, was in “lawful custody” and would be charged in court.
Weeks ago, the Catholic Diocese in the city of Masaka shared that Father Ssekabira was “kidnapped by men in Uganda Army uniform”, and the church is yet to respond to the military’s accusations.
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Uganda goes to the polls next month and faces growing criticism from human rights groups over reports of enforced disappearances and prolonged detention without trial.
On Saturday, the Masaka Diocese sounded the alarm about Father Ssekabira, and in a statement, Masaka Bishop Serverus Jjumba said the priest was taken on December 3 and that he being declared missing was a “grievous wound inflicted on Masaka Diocese, the entire Catholic Church and Father Ssekabira’s family”.
“[The diocese] and our lawyers are still doing whatever is in our means to get back our priest unharmed,” he wrote.
Hours before the military’s confirmation that they had detained Father Ssekabira on Sunday, the national police force said they had seen social media reports of the priest’s “abduction”.
“We are currently verifying these claims and will provide an update once sufficient information about the Reverend Father is obtained,” the message, posted on social media platform X, said.
Responding to the military’s statement on the priest, opposition leader Bobi Wine revealed that the armed forces had “no place detaining civilians”.
The pop star-turned-politician, set to face President Yoweri Museveni in the election, claimed that many of his supporters were also abducted by the military.
“[It is] what Museveni has turned Uganda into,” Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, wrote on X.
Back in October, two Kenyan human rights activists were declared missing for more than a month after reportedly being abducted by armed men while attending Wine’s campaign event. Multiple reports indicate that they were released shortly after.
Later on, Museveni acknowledged that they had been arrested and described them as “experts in riots” who had then been put “in the fridge for some days”.
Ugandan security agencies have long faced accusations of detaining opposition politicians and supporters while out of uniform, with some of those detained later appearing in court to face criminal charges.
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Last year, another Ugandan opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, vanished in Nairobi, only to reappear four days later in a Ugandan military court. He remains jailed on treason charges, which he denies.
