Opposition Leaders in Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan Face Treason Trials
A striking political pattern is emerging across East Africa, where prominent opposition figures in Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan are facing serious charges, including treason — an offence that can carry the death penalty in all three countries.
Tanzania: Opposition leader Tundu Lissu, the head of CHADEMA, has opened his defense in a treason trial. Lissu was arrested in April 2025 and accused of inciting the public to boycott the country’s elections. He has rejected the accusations and described the case as politically motivated. His trial comes amid controversy surrounding the 2025 elections and deadly protests that followed.
Uganda: Veteran opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye is facing treason charges before Uganda’s High Court. Prosecutors accuse him of plotting to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni’s government by force, including allegedly seeking military and logistical support abroad. Besigye has spent months in detention after being taken from Kenya to Uganda. The charges were transferred from a military tribunal to a civilian court following a Supreme Court ruling that civilians should not be tried in military courts.
South Sudan: First Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar is facing charges of murder, treason and crimes against humanity over a deadly March 2025 attack that reportedly killed hundreds of soldiers, including a senior army commander. Machar, who has been under house arrest in Juba, has rejected the allegations through his supporters, who have described the proceedings as a political witch-hunt.
Machar and President Salva Kiir previously fought a devastating civil war that ended with the 2018 peace agreement. However, tensions between the two leaders have continued to threaten the fragile peace.
The three cases have drawn attention because they involve major opposition figures facing some of the most serious charges under their respective national laws.
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