By now, it cannot be denied that the effects of the war in Ukraine are felt and experienced outside of the European continent. In 2020, Uganda imported over 48% of its wheat from both Russia and Ukraine. However, the ongoing war coupled with sanctions has led to excessive increases of commodities such as food. For example, in March 2022, the UN FAO announced that the price of vegetable oil in Uganda increased with 23% while salaries remained the same.
The demonstration was joined by four members of the ‘Ukraine solidarity committee Uganda’, namely: Alex Makanga, Ssekimpi Ali, Muzi benzi Ali, and Sserwanga Shadrak. The committee is known for expressing its sympathy with Ukraine, hence why the demonstration took place in front of the Russian embassy amid the visit of Foreign Minister Lavrov. One of the protesters, Alex Makanga told the media that they decided to walk peacefully to the embassy to call on President Putin to call off the war against Ukraine and to subsequently save people who are failing to make ends meet. According to Makanga, every African country is facing challenging times from a social, economic, and political perspective due to the unnecessary war that Russia wages against Ukraine.
The peaceful demonstration of August 5th in Kampala, Uganda
