Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a Reuters interview at his farm in Kisozi settlement of Gomba district, in the Central Region of Uganda, January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo

KAMPALA, June 23 (Reuters) - Uganda's president has lifted a ban on a European-backed rights group, his office said, almost 18 months after he suspended the organisation and accused its funders of meddling in politics ahead of elections.

Yoweri Museveni said the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) - backed by the European Union, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and other states - could reopen as long as the government had a say in its affairs, according to a presidency statement.

Denmark's ambassador, speaking on behalf of the group, said the decision was welcome and there was no problem with having a government presence on the organisation's board.

According to its website, DGF funds and supports organisations that promote democracy, rights and accountability in Uganda.

Museveni ordered its suspension on Jan. 2 last year, after rights groups accused the government and security services of clamping down on the opposition in the build-up to a presidential election.

Museveni was declared the winner in the vote, defeating his main challenger, pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, who rejected the results. The European Union also said the election was not democratic.

The president said he was going to lift the ban during a meeting with Denmark's development minister, Flemming Mortensen, on Wednesday, according to the presidency.

"President Museveni agreed to lift the ban on Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), a civil society funding body... with a condition that government is represented in its decision-making structures," the statement read.

One of Africa's longest serving leaders, Museveni has long faced criticism over rights abuses, with the U.S. last year imposing sanctions on his then military intelligence chief who is now a senior official in the police. The president has dismissed the accusations. read more

Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Andrew Heavens

Source: Reuters

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