KAMPALA, Uganda – Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has launched a fierce defence of German Ambassador Matthias Schauer, after the Ugandan government sensationally accused the diplomat of backing rebel groups allegedly plotting to destabilize the country.
In a statement posted on Thursday, the National Unity Platform (NUP) leader dismissed the claims as “a tired script” used by President Yoweri Museveni’s regime to deflect from growing international scrutiny and suppress dissent at home.
“This is an all-too-familiar script by the regime: manufacturing threats to shield itself from accountability,” Bobi Wine wrote. “The well-meaning people of Uganda will not be cowed into silence, but will continue pursuing all lawful means to end this regime of blood and shame.”
During a meeting this Wednesday in Gulu, between the European Union Delegation and Gen. Salim Saleh (Dictator Museveni’s brother), the German Ambassador to Uganda H. E. Matthias Schauer and other ambassadors expressed deep concern about the inflammatory social media posts made by
The government’s accusations, delivered through a joint statement by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Inter-Agency Security Committee on Friday, alleged that Ambassador Schauer had engaged in “illegal and clandestine” operations across the country in breach of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Security officials claim that intelligence has linked Schauer to funding unidentified rebel groups, which they say are behind a wave of attacks on power infrastructure in central and western Uganda.
The groups are also accused of plotting terror attacks and seeking to disrupt the 2026 general elections.
Colonel Chris Magezi, the UPDF’s Acting Director of Public Information, said the government was taking the matter up through diplomatic channels, while warning that Kampala would act decisively to protect national stability.
“We are particularly concerned about the illegal and clandestine activities of the German Ambassador,” Magezi said. “The committee has resolved to take firm action against the ringleaders, organisers, and funders of these rebel activities.”
The German embassy has yet to respond publicly, but the accusations threaten to ignite a diplomatic standoff between Kampala and Berlin.
The row comes just days after European Union ambassadors, including Schauer, met Museveni’s brother and military powerbroker Gen. Salim Saleh in Gulu.
According to Bobi Wine, the ambassadors expressed alarm at incendiary posts made by Museveni’s son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, particularly following a tense visit by EU envoys to the NUP headquarters in Kampala.
Shortly after the Gulu meeting, the accusations against Schauer surfaced, a move Bobi Wine suggests was retaliatory.
“They are now ridiculously accusing Ambassador Schauer of sponsoring unidentified rebel groups to overthrow [the regime],” Wine said. “They have stated that most of those so-called rebels are supporters of NUP!”
Government authorities claim multiple suspects connected to opposition groups have been arrested in recent months and charged in court, although human rights organizations have criticized the arrests as politically motivated.
Security agencies have also stepped up surveillance of informal settlements and urban centers in a bid to dismantle alleged recruitment networks targeting unemployed youth.
The opposition, however, views the latest developments as part of a broader crackdown on dissent ahead of the 2026 elections.
