Suspension of HIV program: Ugandan President refuses to bow to American pressure

When a child doesn’t obey his parents, he’s punished, either openly or subtly, as long as he learns his lesson. The U.S. suspended its $400 million program for Uganda, because the country had decided not to obey.

American officials have postponed a meeting in Uganda on the East African country’s HIV program. They said they needed time to “assess the impact of the anti-homosexuality bill” soon to be passed in Uganda. The bill, one of the toughest of its kind in the world, was passed by the Ugandan Parliament on March 21 and sent to President Yoweri Museveni for approval. But he sent it back, asking for changes that he would mitigate to some extent. It was for this reason that PEPFAR, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which spends up to $400 billion a year in Uganda, informed its Ugandan partner on April 25 that a meeting had been postponed due to the imminent potential signing of the bill.

American resistance to the Ugandan project

“We will examine the possibility of the AHA, (the Anti-Homosexual Act) if signed, that it may prevent us from equitably providing all Ugandans with vital prevention, care and treatment services”: said the US spokesperson. They use this health card to force Ugandans to legalize homosexuality in their state.

The HIV program had already expressed serious concerns about the Ugandan bill, saying it would jeopardize efforts to end HIV. In fact, Americans believe that the AHA program would be negative for the fight against HIV. What’s the connection? How would banning homosexuality undermine efforts to end HIV? The State Department spokesman cited research revealing that HIV prevalence among homosexuals is up to 5 times higher in countries with laws condemning homosexuality than in those without. What’s more, HIV prevalence is up to 12 times higher in contexts where prosecutions have recently been launched, compared with those where there were no prosecutions.

Read more: The President of Uganda: A model of resilience and respect for national values

African presidents wake up

The Ugandan president is a very serious and influential man who does not accept corruption, despite the pressure he is under. Without thinking, he refused Western assimilation. The more time passes, the more African presidents begin to have the courage to speak out. They no longer accept everything from the West, and that’s to be congratulated. Like the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, who clearly refused to move to England. Supported by his counterpart, William Ruto, President of Kenya, who declared that they would no longer leave like animals, no longer like schoolchildren on a bus.

It’s important to respect everyone in their own home. Americans have no right to impose their systems or way of life on Africa. In Saudi Arabia, the law against homosexuality is much more brutal than in Africa, but she never suffers the consequences. The Americans have never said they’re going to pull out because they passed this law, because they make a lot of money through Saudi Arabia. This is why China, Russia and many other countries are finally deciding to de-dollarize their nations to avoid outside interference.