{"id":3635,"date":"2026-01-17T00:49:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T00:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3635"},"modified":"2026-01-17T00:49:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T00:49:45","slug":"museveni-takes-lead-amid-violent-clashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3635","title":{"rendered":"Museveni Takes Lead Amid Violent Clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at violent clashes following a crucial vote in <strong>Uganda<\/strong>, new trade commitments between <strong>Canada<\/strong> and <strong>China<\/strong>, and <strong>U.S.<\/strong> congressional support for <strong>Danish<\/strong> control of <strong>Greenland<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Uganda\u2019s \u2018Ominous\u2019 Election<\/h3>\n<p>Incumbent Ugandan President <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/11\/27\/uganda-elections-museveni-violence-kampala\/\">Yoweri Museveni<\/a> claimed a commanding lead on Friday in the country\u2019s disputed presidential election held Thursday. According to the country\u2019s Electoral Commission, Museveni has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/1\/16\/incumbent-president-museveni-takes-strong-lead-in-uganda-election-count\">secured<\/a> more than 75 percent of votes from nearly half of polling stations\u2014sweeping main challenger Bobi Wine, who holds less than 20 percent of votes, as well as six other candidates. According to electoral chief Simon Byabakama, the final results will be announced by 5 p.m. local time on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at violent clashes following a crucial vote in <strong>Uganda<\/strong>, new trade commitments between <strong>Canada<\/strong> and <strong>China<\/strong>, and <strong>U.S.<\/strong> congressional support for <strong>Danish<\/strong> control of <strong>Greenland<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/world-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<form data-shortcode-newsletter=\"world_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief newsletter-shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-world_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"World Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-world_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-world_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"world_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\" type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"sign-up-text\">Sign Up<\/span><br \/>\n      <span class=\"loading-text\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Uganda\u2019s \u2018Ominous\u2019 Election<\/h3>\n<p>Incumbent Ugandan President <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/11\/27\/uganda-elections-museveni-violence-kampala\/\">Yoweri Museveni<\/a> claimed a commanding lead on Friday in the country\u2019s disputed presidential election held Thursday. According to the country\u2019s Electoral Commission, Museveni has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/1\/16\/incumbent-president-museveni-takes-strong-lead-in-uganda-election-count\">secured<\/a> more than 75 percent of votes from nearly half of polling stations\u2014sweeping main challenger Bobi Wine, who holds less than 20 percent of votes, as well as six other candidates. According to electoral chief Simon Byabakama, the final results will be announced by 5 p.m. local time on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>However, reports of widespread repression, voter intimidation, and violence against the opposition have marred Uganda\u2019s election, eliciting fierce condemnation from the United Nations.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday\u2019s presidential election was seen as a test for Museveni, who at 81 years old hopes to extend his <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2021\/02\/12\/uganda-president-museveni-elections-bobi-wine-opposition-us\/\">40-year grip on power<\/a>. Museveni has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/15\/world\/africa\/uganda-election-museveni.html\">previously accused<\/a> the opposition of voter fraud, and he has reorganized the country\u2019s Electoral Commission so that all of its members are hand-chosen by the president. Ahead of the vote, government authorities also imposed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/uganda-orders-two-rights-groups-halt-work-days-before-election-2026-01-13\/\">internet blackout<\/a> to prevent \u201cmisinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.\u201d Some polling stations <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/uganda-election-museveni-kyagulanyi-bobi-wine-8231b6ec57cf93cc67bcfd0ea4a46136\">reported<\/a> delayed openings due to the telecommunications shutdown.<\/p>\n<p>Rights groups lambasted the blackout as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2026\/01\/uganda-internet-shutdown\/\">violation of democratic practices<\/a> during a critical moment for Uganda. \u201cIt creates an information vacuum and a digital darkness that may provide cover for the perpetration of serious human rights violations,\u201d said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International\u2019s East and Southern Africa regional director. \u201cThe fact that no end date for the internet shutdown has been given is also ominous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Locals reported the arbitrary detention of hundreds of supporters of Wine in the lead-up to the vote, and according to the opposition <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NUP_Ug\/status\/2011882789059379513\">National Unity Platform<\/a> on Thursday, Wine\u2019s home in Kampala was surrounded by security forces, \u201ceffectively placing him and his wife under house arrest.\u201d Following Uganda\u2019s 2021 presidential election, during which Wine secured 35 percent of the vote, state authorities also confined the opposition figure to his home for several days.<\/p>\n<p>Wine has alleged mass fraud in Thursday\u2019s election and has called on his supporters to protest the results. Since then, at least seven people have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c78vzye1l2no\">killed<\/a> and 25 others have been arrested during overnight clashes in the Ugandan town of Butambala. The U.S. Embassy in Uganda <a href=\"https:\/\/ug.usembassy.gov\/security-alert-u-s-embassy-uganda-january-16-2026\/\">issued an alert<\/a> on Friday following reports that security forces were \u201cusing teargas and firing into the air to disperse gatherings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe accused machete-wielding \u201cgoons\u201d working for the opposition and organized by local parliamentarian Muwanga Kivumbi of attacking a police station and a vote-tallying center. She maintains that the deaths occurred outside during the clashes. However, Kivumbi told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/ugandas-president-museveni-takes-strong-lead-early-election-results-2026-01-16\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=011626&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">Reuters<\/a> that 10 people were killed while waiting for the election results inside his home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey broke the front door and began shooting inside the garage,\u201d Kivumbi said. \u201cIt was a massacre.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Today\u2019s Most Read<\/h3>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What We\u2019re Following<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Slashing duties. <\/strong>Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping struck an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/china\/canada-china-set-make-historic-gains-new-partnership-says-carney-2026-01-16\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=011626&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">initial agreement<\/a> in Beijing on Friday to lower tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) and canola. The deal aims to bolster economic relations between Ottawa and Beijing, as Canada seeks to <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/07\/china-trump-tariffs-trade-war-beijing-xi-jinping\/\">diversify its markets<\/a> to counter U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/13\/tariffs-hurt-not-helped-the-u-s-economy-trump-trade-ieepa\/\">global trade war<\/a>. This was the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister since 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Under the agreement, Canada will cut its <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-canada-carney-xi-beijing-b71c1b67d3489a8b4058c650152b0cb9\">100 percent tariff<\/a> on Chinese EV exports and will place an annual cap of 49,000 vehicles to Canada that will grow to around 70,000 over five years. In exchange, China will reduce its duties on Canadian canola from 84 percent to about 15 percent.<\/p>\n<p>However, not everyone in Canada is pleased with the deal. Ontario Premier Doug Ford <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fordnation\/status\/2012156955519815775\">warned<\/a> on Friday that \u201cChina now has a foothold in the Canadian market and will use it to their full advantage at the expense of Canadian workers,\u201d adding that a flood of cheap Chinese EVs could lead to domestic job losses. Ontario is the country\u2019s main auto-manufacturing province.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Support for Greenland. <\/strong>A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation led by a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/us-trump-greenland-denmark-congress-nato\/\">arrived<\/a> in Copenhagen on Friday to express solidarity with the Danish government. The lawmakers\u2019 visit flies in the face of Trump\u2019s threats to acquire Greenland, which would defy a <a href=\"https:\/\/history.state.gov\/historicaldocuments\/frus1917\/d881\">1916 agreement<\/a> with Denmark and violate NATO\u2019s founding principles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a time of increasing international instability, we need to draw closer to our allies, not drive them away,\u201d U.S. Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coons.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/senator-coons-to-lead-bipartisan-bicameral-congressional-delegation-to-copenhagen\/\">Chris Coons<\/a>, who co-led the delegation, said this week. During the two-day trip, the 11-member delegation is expected to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen, both of whom have rejected U.S. demands to take control of the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/09\/trump-greenland-rare-earths-critical-minerals\/\">resource-rich<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/08\/trump-greenland-arctic-threats-war-russia-china\/\">strategically located<\/a> territory.<\/p>\n<p>Also on Friday, Danish and Greenlandic cabinet ministers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us-lawmakers-arrive-copenhagen-counter-trumps-greenland-threats-2026-01-16\/\">convened<\/a> to discuss the island\u2019s military preparedness, just one day after six European nations <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/15\/european-troops-greenland-denmark-trump-nato-russia-china\/\">deployed troops<\/a> to Greenland to demonstrate that a U.S. takeover is unnecessary to safeguard the Arctic.<\/p>\n<p>Trump maintains that ownership of Greenland is vital for <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/06\/greenland-annex-trump-denmark-strategic-catastrophe\/\">U.S. national security<\/a>, and he plans to send his <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/22\/trump-greenland-special-envoy-landry-denmark-annexation-critical-minerals\/\">new special envoy<\/a> for Greenland, Jeff Landry, to the island in March to discuss potential acquisition. However, 75 percent of Americans oppose the White House\u2019s efforts to control the Danish territory, according to a <a href=\"chrome-extension:\/\/efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj\/https:\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/26482860\/cnn-poll-greenland-venezuela-foreign-policy.pdf\">CNN poll<\/a> published Thursday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Behind bars. <\/strong>A South Korean court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-faces-first-court-ruling-over-martial-law-2026-01-16\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=011626&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">sentenced<\/a> former President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday to five years in prison for obstructing authorities\u2019 attempts to arrest him following his short-lived martial law order in December 2024. He was also found guilty of fabricating official documents and failing to discuss his martial law order at a formal cabinet meeting before implementing it.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2025, Yoon became the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/01\/17\/south-korea-yoon-arrest-impeachment-constitution\/\">first sitting South Korean leader<\/a> to be arrested. In the wake of the martial law declaration, Yoon ignored multiple summonses to appear for questioning, leading authorities to issue an arrest warrant. He then <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/01\/03\/south-korea-yoon-arrest-warrant-standoff-martial-law-insurrection\/\">appeared to encourage<\/a> his supporters to form a \u201chuman wall\u201d to block investigating officers and police from entering the presidential compound; once they made it inside, they were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/south-korea-authorities-moving-arrest-president-yoon-yonhap-says-2025-01-02\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=010325&amp;lctg=607f1056abd4f461f466319b\">further blocked<\/a> by presidential security personnel.<\/p>\n<p>Friday\u2019s ruling\u2014the first related to criminal charges against Yoon\u2014follows South Korean prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/south-korea-prosecutor-seeks-death-penalty-ex-president-yoon-over-martial-law-2026-01-13\/\">requesting<\/a> earlier this week in a separate trial that the former president be given the death penalty if he is found guilty of orchestrating an attempted insurrection. Seoul has not carried out a death sentence in nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>What in the World?<\/h3>\n<p>What reason did the Israeli military give for striking Hezbollah targets in several areas of Lebanon on Thursday?<\/p>\n<p>A. The group was violating the 2024 cease-fire agreement<br \/>B. It was firing at Israeli citizens across the southern border<br \/>C. It was fighting the Lebanese military to resist disarmament<br \/>D. It threatened attacks on Israeli government officials<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>Odds and Ends<\/h3>\n<p>Scientists have discovered the naturally mummified remains of cheetahs in northern Saudi Arabia, according to a new study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-025-03021-6\">published<\/a> on Thursday. Ranging from 130 years old to more than 1,800 years old, the well-preserved specimens gave researchers the ability to extract and sequence the ancient big cats\u2019 genes <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/cheetah-mummy-saudi-arabia-caves-f4a42d5842eb3ff1a97a151c2b502255\">for the first time<\/a>. Their findings, published in the journal <em>Communications Earth &amp; Environment<\/em>, provide useful insights for conservation and rewilding efforts.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>And the Answer Is\u2026<\/h3>\n<p>A. The group was violating the 2024 cease-fire agreement<\/p>\n<p>Israel believes Hezbollah is replenishing its weapons stores; it may risk an invasion of Lebanon to disarm the militant group once and for all, FP\u2019s Anchal Vohra <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/14\/israel-hezbollah-weapons-disarmament-resolution-1701\/\">writes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To take the rest of FP\u2019s weekly international news quiz, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/16\/foreign-policy-news-quiz-federal-reserve-trump-ukraine-russia-uganda\/\">click here<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/alerts\/\">sign up<\/a> to be alerted when a new one is published.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/16\/uganda-presidential-election-yoweri-museveni-bobi-wine-internet-blackouts\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at violent clashes following a crucial vote in Uganda, new trade commitments between Canada and China, and U.S. congressional support for Danish control of Greenland. Uganda\u2019s \u2018Ominous\u2019 Election Incumbent Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni claimed a commanding lead on Friday in the country\u2019s disputed presidential election held Thursday. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3635","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politcical-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}