Uganda’s President-elect, Yoweri Museveni, has strongly criticized opposition members, labeling them “terrorists” and accusing them of attempting to use violence to challenge the outcome of the recent presidential election, in which he secured a seventh term in office. Speaking on Monday, Museveni alleged that the opposition had planned to disrupt the election with machete-wielding gangs targeting polling stations and police.

“The opposition is lucky, because if all our members stood up, there would be no opposition in Uganda,” he said, adding, “But some of them are wrong, and they are also terrorists.”

The 77-year-old leader, who has been in power since 1986, warned that such “destabilizing actions” would not be tolerated and issued a stern message to his political rivals: “We don’t want Uganda to become like Libya. So to all the traitors, this is free advice: stop what you are doing, because we know everything, and you will not succeed.”

Outlining his priorities for the next term, Museveni placed poverty eradication at the top of his agenda, while emphasizing the urgent need for reforms in the education and healthcare sectors. He also addressed the issue of corruption, which he criticized as a source of public dissatisfaction. “This corruption annoys people,” he said, urging elected officials to closely monitor public services, particularly hospitals.

The election was held under a nationwide internet shutdown, which the government claimed was necessary to “curb misinformation,” though critics have suggested it was a tactic to obscure potential vote-rigging. Additionally, technical issues delayed polling and led to the use of manual voter registers, which Museveni argued were part of an opposition scheme to manipulate the election process.