Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine, was reportedly taken from his home by the army on Friday, as President Yoweri Museveni moved toward what appears to be a landslide reelection.
Wine’s National Unity Platform party posted on X Friday evening that an army helicopter had landed in his Kampala compound and “forcibly taken him away to an unknown destination.”
Reuters could not immediately verify the report, and some senior party officials said they had no confirmation. Spokespeople for the Ugandan government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Wine has accused authorities of widespread fraud during Thursday’s election, which took place amid an internet blackout, and urged his supporters to protest.
His party also said on Thursday that he had effectively been placed under house arrest.
The election has been widely viewed as a measure of the 81-year-old Museveni’s political grip and his ability to prevent unrest similar to what has occurred in neighboring Tanzania and Kenya.
Deadly incidents
By Friday evening, Museveni, in power since 1986, was leading with nearly 74% of the vote, according to the electoral commission, while Wine trailed with 23%.
Despite a campaign marked by clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread repression and intimidation, Thursday’s voting largely passed peacefully.
However, violence erupted overnight in Butambala, roughly 55 km (35 miles) southwest of Kampala, according to a police spokesperson and a local MP, with conflicting accounts of what occurred.
Local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said machete-wielding opposition “goons” organized by MP Muwanga Kivumbi attacked a police station and vote-tallying center.
“Security responded in self-defense because these people came in big numbers. Police fired in self-defense,” Tumushabe told Reuters, adding that 25 people were arrested.
Opposition MP disputes police account
Kivumbi, however, claimed to Reuters that the victims were killed around 3 a.m. inside his house, where people had gathered to await the announcement of results for his parliamentary seat.
“They killed 10 people inside my house,” he said. “There were people inside the garage who were waiting for the results to celebrate my victory.”
“They broke the front door and began shooting inside the garage. It was a massacre.”
He added that security forces had previously dispersed crowds outside, disputing the police’s claim that the deaths occurred during clashes.
Tumushabe said she was not aware of any incident at Kivumbi’s house, which is located near the police station.
