Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 - Uganda

Overview: The Government of Uganda continued its significant counterterrorism efforts in East Africa and the Horn of Africa in 2016 and demonstrated strong political will to apprehend suspected terrorists and disrupt terrorist activity in its territory. Uganda participated in regional efforts to neutralize al-Shabaab as the largest troop contributing country to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The Government of Uganda's ability to respond to counterterrorism threats was inconsistent, however, given resource and capacity limitations, porous borders, and corruption at all levels of government. The Government of Uganda and members of the ruling National Resistance Movement at times labeled domestic political opposition as "terrorism" and individuals challenging government or party interests as "security threats," potentially diverting attention and resources from pursuing core counterterrorism goals.

Only one terrorism alert was issued in 2016. On May 2, the Ugandan Police Force (UPF) announced it had received information about a terrorist threat to airports and government installations in Entebbe and Kampala. Police increased their presence at the airport and at other government buildings in response to the threat, and no terrorist act occurred.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: In January, Uganda's parliament passed one amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002, which was signed into law by President Museveni in late January. This amendment broadened the definition of terrorist acts to allow for prosecution of individuals who travel outside Uganda for the purposes of planning or being trained for a terrorist act.

The UPF Directorate of Counterterrorism is the lead law enforcement entity charged with investigating, disrupting, and responding to terrorist incidents. While highly motivated, the UPF overall was limited in its capacity to detect, deter, and respond to terrorist incidents due to a lack of human resources, funding, and training. Further, UPF officials were susceptible to corruption due to low and inconsistent pay. Although the UPF held regular interagency meetings in an attempt to ensure coordination among its security and intelligence agencies, the bulk of law enforcement elements were centrally located in Kampala, limiting their effectiveness in areas outside of Kampala.

The United States continued to provide significant capacity building assistance to the UPF, specifically through the Department of State's Antiterrorism Assistance program. Border security remained a persistent concern for the Ugandan government, with especially porous borders between Uganda and both South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Uganda used the U.S.-provided Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) to conduct traveler screening at the country's major ports of entry. The use of PISCES led to the late-November 2016 arrest of one individual allegedly linked to the al-Shabaab bombings in Kampala in 2010; the individual was attempting to cross the border from Kenya to Uganda and was flagged by the PISCES system.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) maintained strong relationships with the UPF and continued to work with the Ugandan government on terrorism investigations. One particular joint investigation culminated in the May 2016 Ugandan court conviction of eight individuals for orchestrating the July 2010 al-Shabaab bombings in Kampala, which resulted in 76 deaths and 70 injuries. The results of the convictions were five life sentences, two 50-year sentences, and one community service sentence. Five persons were acquitted, but remained in custody.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Uganda is a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group, a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body. While Uganda remained under review by the FATF in 2016 owing to its strategic anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) deficiencies, it continued to make progress towards criminalizing terrorist financing and implementing United Nations (UN)sanctions in line with international standards. This included the 2016 enactment of amendments to its regulation implementing UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1373 and the UNSC ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qa'ida sanctions regime.

As noted, Uganda remained under review by the FATF due to gaps in its AML/CFT infrastructure. Specifically, the list of action items relate to the criminalization of terrorist financing, the implementation of procedures for freezing terrorist assets, provisions that financial institutions are subject to adequate record-keeping requirements, and ensuring adequate supervision and enforcement of compliance with AML/CFT requirements.

A significant portion of financial transactions in Uganda are in the form of "mobile money" payments and transfers, which can be abused by individuals for a multitude of crimes, including terrorism. While Uganda's Anti-Money Laundering Act requires financial institutions to conduct comprehensive customer due diligence, it does not put the same requirements on mobile money transfers.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume II, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Countering Violent Extremism: The Government of Uganda does not have a Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) National Action Plan, as recommended by the UN Secretary-General's Preventing Violent Extremism Plan of Action. As of November, a small team consisting of counterterrorism security personnel (military and police) was drafting a CVE strategy for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. No civilian government agencies were known to be involved in the drafting process. Muslim religious leaders and civil society groups presented their research and views on drivers of violent extremism to the drafting team. Civilian Government of Uganda representatives attended regional CVE meetings organized under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an eight-country trade bloc in Africa that includes governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes and attended U.S. government CVE summits and programs.

International and Regional Cooperation: Uganda is a member of IGAD, the East African Community, the Partnership for Regional East Africa Counterterrorism, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. Uganda contributes troops to the African Union (AU)-Regional Task Force (AU-RTF) for the AU's Counter-Lord's Resistance Army (C-LRA) effort, and is the largest troop contributing country in AMISOM.