By Our Reporter
Ugandan human rights advocate Agather Atuhaire, who went missing earlier this week while in Tanzania, has been found alive and returned to safety, according to a statement released Friday by civic platform Agora Discourse.
“We are relieved to inform the public that Agather Atuhaire has been found. She was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities,” the organisation announced via its official X (formerly Twitter) account. Further details, including her current condition and the full circumstances of her detention, are expected to be released later.
Atuhaire’s disappearance triggered widespread concern across East Africa, after reports indicated she had been arrested and detained alongside prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi. The two were reportedly in Tanzania for civil society engagements when they were apprehended under unclear circumstances by Tanzanian security forces.
Mwangi, who has since been released, shared chilling details of their detention. He described how both he and Atuhaire were blindfolded, held incommunicado at an undisclosed location, and subjected to psychological and physical torture. He recounted that the last time he heard Atuhaire’s voice, she was in evident distress, marking a deeply traumatic episode for both activists.
According to initial accounts, Atuhaire was later forcibly removed from detention and left at the Uganda-Tanzania border by Tanzanian authorities without formal explanation or due process. This development has raised serious concerns among regional human rights groups regarding cross-border abductions, arbitrary detention, and violations of international human rights standards.
Agora Discourse, a civic platform with which Atuhaire is affiliated, expressed deep gratitude to the public, civil society actors, and media who mobilized quickly to demand her safe return. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood in solidarity during this time. Your efforts truly made a difference,” the platform stated.
While details surrounding her arrest, treatment in custody, and eventual release remain murky, Atuhaire’s return has brought a measure of relief to Uganda’s civil society, which has been on edge since news of her disappearance first emerged. Her ordeal underscores the increasing risks faced by human rights defenders in the region and calls renewed attention to the need for transparency, accountability, and protection for those who speak out.
