Compiled By Markson Omagor
(SOURCE: BBC)
Facebook has shutdown dozens of accounts aligned to Uganda’s ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The tech giant accused the accounts of seeking to manipulate public debate ahead of Thursday’s general elections.
“This month, we removed a network of accounts and pages in Uganda that engaged in CIB (Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour) to target public debate ahead of the election,” Facebook’s head of communication for sub-Saharan Africa, Kezia Anim-Addo, told news agency AFP.
An aide to President Yoweri Museveni accused Facebook and Twitter of being opponents of NRM.
“They should “unfreeze” accounts they froze yesterday & today,” Don Wanyama tweeted on Sunday 10th January 2021.
He urged the Uganda Communications Commission “to act to ensure a fair digital playfield.”
“Shame on the foreign forces that think they can aid and plant a puppet leadership on Uganda by disabling online accounts of NRM supporters. You won’t take away President Kaguta Museveni,” Mr Wanyama was quoted as saying by the Daily Monitor news site.
Ashburg Kato, a famous blogger for the ruling party, accused opposition politician and presidential candidate Bobi Wine and his aides of being behind the shutdown.
“Facebook itself deleted our accounts on the request of Bobi Wine’s handlers,” Kato tweeted.
“What exactly is happening? Why is Facebook blocking people’s accounts? Is supporting NRM or M7 a problem to Zuckerberg also?” Jannette Mugisha asked on her Facebook wall. She is just among the many Ugandans that have been left flagger basted by the Tech giant’s move.
Kato recently also wrote pleading to Bobi Wine to ask his American handlers to return his account saying he was not the one who leaked the Bobi Wine children photo at Entebbe Airport.
Bobi Wine has not commented on the allegations.
