US Senator says East Africa abductions akin to impunity

A top US senator has raised new concerns over rising cases of human rights abuse in East Africa, weeks after warning against Kenya’s dalliance with China.

Senator Jim Risch, who doubles up as the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, castigated the governments in the region, saying that the new reports of abductions and torture expose serious government failure.

According to the Idaho senator, failure to address the abuses not only risks destabilising the region but also threatens America's interests.

“Rising abductions and torture in East Africa signal more than abuse - they expose state decay and impunity,” Risch wrote on X, adding, “That’s a direct threat to regional stability, security, and US interests.”

Senator Risch was reacting to the arrest and deportation of Kenyan and Ugandan rights defenders from Tanzania during the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu on May 19.

The US Bureau of African Affairs has since called for investigations into the alleged abuses, citing the cases of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan advocate Agather Atuhaire.

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“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment in Tanzania of two East African activists – Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi.  Atuhaire was recognized by the US Department of State in 2024 as an International Women of Courage Awardee,” said the US Bureau of African Affairs.

It added: “We call for an immediate and full investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses.  We urge all countries in the region to hold to account those responsible for violating human rights, including torture.”

Earlier, Risch had criticised Kenya’s foreign policy, especially its warm relationship with China despite being designated as a major non-NATO ally of the US.

“I have to tell you that watching President Ruto with the Chinese President, holding hands and talking about a new world order, is just stunning. The new world order that these countries are talking about is being constructed by the autocracies, the outright communists, socialists, people who have no respect for human rights.”