Relationship dossier
Uganda
United States
Relationship assessment
Health and security cooperation alongside disputes over human rights and governance
Uganda toward United States
+15Uganda has cooperated with the United States on regional security, including counterterrorism and peacekeeping efforts, and has participated in US-supported health programs. The relationship has been strained by Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act and disputes over democratic governance.
United States toward Uganda
+15The United States has provided substantial health and development assistance to Uganda and has partnered with Ugandan authorities on security and regional peacekeeping. It has also imposed visa restrictions and, in 2024, removed Uganda from AGOA eligibility, citing concerns that included human rights and governance.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines sustained US health and development assistance with security cooperation and Uganda’s regional peacekeeping role. Disputes over human rights and democratic governance, including US measures following Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, have constrained the partnership. The result is a durable but politically contested relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Uganda and the United States have cooperated on health programs, security, and regional peacekeeping, alongside substantial US assistance. Relations have also faced significant disputes over Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act and concerns about democratic governance. The United States suspended Uganda’s eligibility for AGOA trade benefits in 2024, adding an economic dimension to those tensions.
Areas of tension
- Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act and US human-rights concerns
- US concerns over democratic governance and political freedoms in Uganda
- US removal of Uganda from AGOA eligibility
Key developments
Uganda enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Act, prompting strong US criticism and subsequent measures affecting bilateral relations.
The United States ended Uganda’s eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral security and health cooperation are unclear.
- The longer-term effects of US trade and visa measures on bilateral engagement are uncertain.