Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said on Saturday that he escaped a raid by police and soldiers on his home, after authorities denied claims that he had been arrested following Uganda’s presidential election, which was won by veteran leader Yoweri Museveni in a landslide, according to the elector
Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) said late on Friday that an army helicopter landed at his home in the capital, Kampala, and that he was "forcibly taken away to an unknown destination". Police rejected the claim, saying he was not under arrest.
In a post on X, Wine said security forces raided his house overnight, cut electricity and disabled some CCTV cameras, but that he managed to flee.
"I want to confirm I managed to escape from them. Currently, I am not at home," he said.
Wine added that his wife and other family members were under house arrest, a claim Reuters could not immediately verify. People close to him said he remained at large in Uganda.
Earlier, national police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told a televised news conference that Wine was at home and free to move.
"He is not under arrest," Rusoke said.
The developments came after the head of Uganda’s electoral commission said on Saturday that Museveni had won the presidential election by a landslide, extending his rule that began in 1986.
Nearly final results showed Museveni securing about 72% of the vote, while Wine trailed with roughly 24%, with more than 90% of polling stations counted, according to the commission.
Wine has alleged widespread fraud in Thursday’s vote, which was held under a broad internet blackout, and has urged supporters to protest.
After a campaign marked by clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread repression and intimidation, voting itself passed peacefully. However, violence later broke out in the town of Butambala, about 55 km southwest of Kampala.
Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said machete-wielding opposition "goons", organised by local MP Muwanga Kivumbi, attacked a police station and a vote-tallying centre, prompting officers to open fire in self-defence. She said seven people were killed, three injured and 25 arrested.
Kivumbi disputed the account, saying 10 people were killed by security forces inside his house while supporters were waiting for parliamentary results.
"They killed 10 people inside my house," he said.
Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the violence.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Here are the latest stories from AnewZ’s Africa News programme, focusing on political and security developments across the African continent.
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