High Commissioner Volker Türk urged Ugandan authorities to fulfill their international obligations and ensure that all citizens can vote freely and safely.
“Ugandan authorities must ensure that all Ugandans can fully and safely participate in the elections, as is their right under international law,” he said. “They must, among other things, ensure that no unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force, is used to disperse peaceful protests.”
OHCHR documented arrests and detentions of opposition leaders and activists, raids on opposition party offices, confiscation of property, suspension of radio stations, arrests of bloggers, and tighter controls on NGOs.
Kizza Besigye arrested
Prominent opposition figure Kizza Besigye remains detained on what the OHCHR described as questionable treason charges after being kidnapped in neighboring Kenya in November 2024. His partner Obeid Lutale has also been repeatedly denied bail.
The report highlights the use of live ammunition by security forces to disperse peaceful gatherings and the practice of abducting opposition supporters in unmarked vans and holding them incommunicado in unofficial detention locations.
OHCHR stressed that all human rights violations related to the elections must be investigated and those responsible held accountable.
Syria: UN alarmed by renewed fighting in Aleppo
The UN expressed further alarm on Friday over fighting in Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, warning that the risk of escalation and harm to civilians remains extremely high.
Despite ongoing efforts to end the fighting, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the situation continues to deteriorate with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
“We emphasize that all parties are obliged by international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times,” he said, urging all actors to avoid further escalation, exercise restraint and take concrete steps to avoid further civilian casualties.
The UN called on all parties to demonstrate genuine flexibility and good faith to ensure the full implementation of a March 10 agreement last year between the Kurdish-led SDF militia and the transitional government, establishing a lasting ceasefire leading to unified military and security forces.
Increased insecurity in parts of Aleppo has disrupted access to key roads, limiting movement and delaying humanitarian access, Dujarric said.
“We are coordinating with relevant groups so that we can continue delivering humanitarian aid,” he added.
Aid continues in Gaza as settler violence displaces families in West Bank
Meanwhile, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN and humanitarian partners continue to provide critical assistance throughout the Gaza Strip, while violence and displacement persist in the West Bank.
According to the aid coordination office, OCHA, between Monday and Wednesday more than 5,000 families in Gaza received emergency cash assistance to help them purchase essential items.
In 2025, more than 340,000 families throughout the Strip were able to access this benefit at least once.
In the West Bank, OCHA reported that at least 20 Palestinian families have been displaced from the Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja herding community in Area C of Jericho Governorate following repeated attacks and intimidation by settlers, which included the loss of water and electricity networks after lines were cut.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli settlers reportedly set property on fire on Thursday, including vehicles, a school and a daycare center, causing injuries and damage in Deir Sharaf, Jalud and Bizzariya in Nablus governorate.
In total, in 2025, OCHA documented more than 1,800 settler attacks on Palestinians resulting in casualties or property damage in some 280 communities, the highest daily average since records began in 2006.