Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which collects data from activists inside and outside the country, the fatalities include 490 protesters and 48 security personnel amid two weeks of unrest that began in late December 2025. In that period, more than 10,600 people have been arrested in connection with the demonstrations.

The protests, initially sparked by economic grievances including soaring prices and the sharp decline of the Iranian rial, have rapidly evolved into widespread demands for political change, with demonstrators openly criticising the country’s clerical leadership.

The Iranian government has not released its own casualty figures, and international agencies have been unable to independently verify the rights group’s totals. Tehran has imposed a near-total internet blackout, complicating external reporting on the scale of violence and human rights abuses.

State media and official channels have sought to frame the unrest as the work of “terrorists” and foreign agents, with senior Iranian officials accusing the United States and Israel of fomenting trouble. In response to mounting tensions, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that any military strike on Iran would result in retaliation against U.S. and allied targets in the region.

“Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all U.S. bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are reportedly reviewing a wide range of responses to the crisis, including military options, cyber operations, expanded sanctions, and support to help restore internet access for protestors.

As protests continue in cities across Iran, the nation remains in a state of heightened tension, with growing calls for political reform and accountability, even as the authorities threaten severe reprisals against dissenters.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on January 11, 2026, Trump said the situation was under close review by both civilian and military leadership and that decisive steps could be taken soon.

“We’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump told reporters. “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”

He added that Iranian leaders had reached out to Washington to seek negotiations following his warnings, and that a meeting was being arranged. However, Trump cautioned that the United States might act before that meeting takes place if conditions on the ground worsen.

The remarks come as anti-government protests enter their third week, sparked initially by economic grievances such as the sharp downturn of the Iranian rial but quickly evolving into broader demonstrations against the country’s clerical leadership.

Rights groups estimate that hundreds of protesters have been killed in the crackdown, while more than 10,000 people have been detained. The ongoing unrest has been compounded by an internet blackout across large parts of Iran, making it difficult to independently verify events inside the country.

Trump’s comments have raised both diplomatic and security concerns. Sources say the options being reviewed could include not only military strikes but also cyber operations, expanded sanctions, and support for protest-related communications technology to counter state blackouts.

Trump even mentioned plans to discuss restoring internet access in Iran with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system, which has been used in other conflict zones to bypass government restrictions.

Iranian officials have responded with warnings of their own. Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that any attack on Iran would trigger retaliation, with Israel and U.S. military bases in the region described as “legitimate targets.” Tehran has also accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest and portrayed demonstrators as influenced by foreign powers, a claim rejected by protest supporters and rights observers.

The crisis also reflects a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy under Trump, which in recent weeks has included heightened pressure on Cuba and Venezuela, as well as renewed strategic discussions about U.S. military presence in other regions. But Trump’s focus on Iran, where demonstrations have become the largest in years, highlights the escalating tension between global powers and domestic unrest inside Iran.

As of today, it remains unclear whether the United States will take military action, expand sanctions further, or pursue diplomatic channels. Trump’s administration has indicated that all possible responses are on the table, and senior advisers are scheduled to meet to shape the next steps amid heightened global attention.

Speaking at a rally in Arua City on Friday, Museveni lauded Trump for “kicking out immigrants” and urged Ugandans to focus on national development rather than seeking opportunities abroad.

“Africanism. Love Africa. Why? Because you need it,” Museveni said. “I like Mr. Trump so much myself. He has said, ‘Don’t come here now to America.’ I say thank you so much for chasing those wanderers. What are they going to do in America?”

“I love Trump for chasing you, people who don’t care about their country, they go all over the place,” he added.

Museveni used the example of Trump’s deportation measures to emphasise African self-reliance.

“This teaches you that you build your own capacity, within Uganda, within Africa. Love Uganda, love Africa,” he said, highlighting that national markets and domestic production are critical for wealth creation.

Trump’s mass deportation program, which began upon his inauguration on January 20, 2025, has been described by the administration as the largest in U.S. history. The program combines formal deportations with “self-deportations,” facilitated in part through the repurposed CBP One app, renamed “CBP Home”, which offers voluntary migrants cash incentives to leave.

By December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reported over 2.5 million people had left the U.S., including more than 600,000 formal deportations and nearly 1.9 million self-deportations.

In addition to enforcement actions, Uganda was recently added to an expanded U.S. visa bond program requiring some travelers to post refundable deposits of up to $15,000 for certain visa applications. The initiative is part of the U.S. government’s efforts to reduce visa overstays and enforce stricter immigration controls.

The refugee agency reported on Friday that 25 of the deaths were caused by a cholera outbreak, while six others resulted from anaemia and malnutrition-related complications. Authorities are still investigating the causes of the remaining deaths, with the UN working alongside local officials and humanitarian partners to gather more information.

More than 100,000 people have sought refuge in Burundi since December, when fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels intensified in the border town of Uvira. Many of the displaced are living in makeshift shelters with limited access to food, clean water, and basic services.

Children and women, including pregnant women, are particularly vulnerable, with roughly half of those displaced under the age of 18. Overcrowding in refugee sites has also increased the risk of outbreaks of cholera, measles, and malaria, UN officials warned.

Jean Jacques Purusi, governor of South Kivu province where Uvira is located, described the situation as “misery” and “a crisis completely forgotten by the international community and media.”

The Burundian government confirmed that the number of Congolese refugees exceeded the capacity of nearby camps. Feeding them was a challenge, and many were affected by cholera outbreaks caused by poor sanitation.

Although UNHCR confirmed 53 deaths, other sources were even more alarming. The CPCC, a community-based NGO, reported that 105 Congolese refugees had died in camps in Burundi over the past two weeks, mostly due to lack of food and medical care.

On January 5, 2026, the organisation’s director, Ahadi Bya Masu, told Radio Okapi that some refugees had also been attacked by criminals while in the camps in Burundi, resulting in additional deaths.

“Today, at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time, U.S. Central Command forces, alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria,” the command posted on X.

The command said these strikes were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched and announced on December 19 in response to a deadly IS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13. In the attack, a lone IS terrorist carried out an ambush, killing two U.S. soldiers and one U.S. civilian interpreter.

The strikes are “part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region,” U.S. Central Command said, adding that U.S. and coalition forces “remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”