Uganda’s Bobi Wine Taken to Unknown Location in Army Helicopter, Party Says. Kampala, Uganda — The National Unity Platform, the political party of Bobi Wine, Uganda’s opposition presidential candidate, reported on Friday that Wine has been “forcibly” removed from his home and taken to an “unknown destination” in an army helicopter.
The incident occurred a day after Ugandans voted in a tense election that was accompanied by an internet blackout.
No immediate comment has been made by the Ugandan authorities. Wine, a prominent opposition figure in Uganda, had been challenging the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni in an election campaign that the United Nations described as marred by “widespread repression and intimidation.
” reports’s Catherine Soi reported from Kampala that the internet shutdown has made obtaining information about Wine’s whereabouts challenging.
According to Soi, a National Unity Platform official confirmed that “men who appeared to be military and other security agents jumped over the fence” of Wine’s home.
However, the official could not confirm whether Wine was at home or had been taken away. Al Jazeera has been unable to reach the Ugandan military or the police to confirm the details of the incident.
Wine had previously alleged on social media that there was “massive ballot stuffing” across the country and called on the Ugandan people to “rise to the occasion and reject the criminal regime.
” His remarks followed a years-long crackdown on opposition politicians and their supporters by Museveni’s government.
As votes were counted on Friday, Museveni was leading with 73.
7 percent support, with Wine securing 22. 7 percent, according to the Electoral Commission.
The final results were expected around 4 pm local time in Kampala (13:00 GMT) on Saturday.
The election, which passed peacefully on Thursday, was marred by violence in the town of Butambala, about 55 km (35 miles) southwest of Kampala. Local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said at least seven people were killed when opposition supporters attacked a police station and vote-tallying center. Local MP Muwanga Kivumbi, a member of Wine’s party, claimed that 10 people were killed and that security forces removed all evidence of the dead.
Further details regarding Wine’s current whereabouts and the circumstances of his removal remain unclear.
The situation is developing, and further details are expected.
