The Uganda government and Zambia government on Friday denied a report that claimed employees of Chinese telecom giant Huawei helped them to spy on their political opponents, reported BBC.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Huawei technicians helped the two African governments conduct espionage on their political opponents by intercepting their communications and tracking their social media activity and physical movements.
The report alleged that Huawei employees reportedly helped Uganda’s cyber-surveillance unit to monitor pop star turned opposition icon Bobi Wine and infiltrate his WhatsApp chat group, named Firebase crew after his band. It said that the Ugandan authorities used the information to ruin Wine’s plans for concerts and street rallies and arrest him and his supporters. Notably, Wine is planning to challenge President Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 presidential election.
The report claimed that Huawei representatives were also involved in similar intelligence-gathering operations in Zambia and Algeria.
Ugandan presidential spokesman Don Wanyama told AFP that the report that claims Huawei helped the government to spy on its political opponents is completely false.
Zambia has also rejected the report.
Zambai’s Information Minister Dora Siliya tweeted that the report was malicious and that Zambia’s constitution guaranteed the right to privacy.
Huawei, which is currently the number two smartphone producer in the world and is considered the global leader in fifth-generation or 5G equipment, has described the allegations as unfounded and inaccurate.
“Huawei rejects completely these unfounded and inaccurate allegations against our business operations,” a Huawei spokesperson said in a statement provided to Wall Street Journal. “Our internal investigation shows clearly that Huawei and its employees have not been engaged in any of the activities alleged. We have neither the contracts nor the capabilities, to do so.”
The smartphone maker giant has been under the scanner for its alleged links to the Chinese government. The United States blacklisted Huawei in May as part of an ongoing trade war between the two nations.
