Aid donors' support for democratisation in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s
has been tempered by their desire to achieve other objectives. In Uganda, a
high level of donor support for the Museveni government has been compatible
with the Ugandan government's reluctance to introduce multiparty
democracy. Donors have opted for ‘dialogue’ rather than coercive methods.
This may be ascribed to a number of factors, including the destruction from
which Uganda was recovering, the need to present Uganda as a success story
for economic liberalisation, and donors' need to maintain good relations with
Uganda in order to pursue their foreign policy goals. The resulting donor–recipient
relationship has however created dangers for the maintenance of
long-term sustainable democracy in Uganda, by condoning divisive policies,
and neglecting the need for coalition-building and conflict resolution.