What You Need to Know
The Ugandan opposition party led by presidential candidate Bobi Wine claims that over 300 of its supporters and officials have been arrested since the start of the election campaign in January. The arrests have raised concerns about the government’s tactics to suppress dissent ahead of the upcoming elections.
Africa. The opposition party in Uganda, led by presidential candidate Bobi Wine, claims that security forces have arrested over 300 of its supporters and officials since January.
According to the spokesperson for Bobi Wine’s party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), security forces in Uganda have detained more than 300 of its supporters and officials since the start of the election campaign in January.
Wine, a pop star turned politician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is challenging President Yoweri Museveni for the second time after finishing second in the last election in 2021.
Jowel Ssenyoni, the spokesperson for the NUP, told a local source that “the arrests included dozens of people who were detained this week in the capital Kampala, where Wine began his campaign on Monday.”
He added that “more than 300 people have been arrested since the campaign began. The regime is in a state of panic and resorts to arrests to deter our people and instill fear in them,” noting that “most of those arrested are ordinary supporters, but there are also campaign coordinators, aides to Wine, and other officials.”
Ssenyoni pointed out that “at least 100 people were arrested on Monday, and dozens were detained on Tuesday at another rally on the outskirts of Kampala.”
It is worth mentioning that the police announced in a statement late Monday that they had arrested seven people after clashes with Wine’s supporters, accusing them of throwing stones and injuring seven police officers. They added that “security forces responded using public order measures to control the unruly crowds.”
Uganda has a long history of political tension, particularly surrounding elections. President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986, and opposition parties often face significant challenges, including harassment and arrests of their supporters. The political landscape has been marked by allegations of human rights abuses and suppression of free speech, especially during election periods.
