Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

The White house announced Tuesday it is stationing aircraft in Uganda to support the African Union efforts to save civilian lives in the Central African Republic and South Sudan from the Lord’s Resistance Army. Millions of dollars that was to go to Uganda will be diverted elsewhere, and invitations for Ugandan military and police to travel outside the country have been canceled.

“As we move forward with the deployment of the Ospreys to support the AU, we are cognizant that there are many who share our concerns about Ugandan President Museveni’s recent enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act,” the White House Office of Communications announced in a press release. “Ensuring justice and accountability for human rights violators like the LRA and protecting LGBT rights aren’t mutually exclusive. We can and must do both.”

To counter Museveni enacting the Anti-Homosexuality Act, several steps have been taken.

The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda will continue to receive $2.3 million for direct treatment of 50,000 people with HIV, but will lose $6.4 million in other funding, because its “public stance on homosexuality could foster an atmosphere of discrimination that runs counter to efforts to provide an effective and nondiscriminatory response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

The U.S. is suspending the start of a survey to estimate the size of key at-risk populations that was to be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Uganda’s Makarere University. Proceeding with the survey could pose a danger to respondents and staff.

Because the law threatens the safety of LGBT tourists in Uganda and the liberty of those who show support for Uganda’s LGBT community, $3 million in funding designated for tourism and biodiversity promotion will be redirected to NGOs working on biodiversity protection.

The Department of Defense-sponsored Africa Air Chiefs Symposium and East Africa Military Intelligence Non-Commissioned Officer course will move to locations outside of Uganda. Invitational travel for Ugandan military and police has been suspended or canceled.

“We continue to look at additional steps we may take, to work to protect LGBT individuals from violence and discrimination, and to urge Uganda to repeal this abhorrent law,” the White House press release said.