Uganda detains 2,000 opposition supporters, 30 killed after disputed election

Nairobi. Uganda’s military chief has said authorities have detained about 2,000 opposition supporters and killed 30 others following a disputed presidential election that handed President Yoweri Museveni a seventh term in office.

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Museveni, made the claims in a series of posts on his X (formerly Twitter) account late Thursday.

President Museveni, 81, who has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades, was declared the winner of the January 15 election, defeating opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, of the National Unity Platform (NUP). The vote was conducted during an internet shutdown.

Bobi Wine rejected the results, alleging widespread irregularities, including ballot stuffing, and has since gone into hiding.

In his posts, Gen Kainerugaba said security forces had arrested thousands of NUP supporters and described those targeted as “terrorists”.

“So far we have killed 30 NUP terrorists,” he wrote, without providing details on how the deaths occurred. In another post, he said most opposition leaders were in hiding and that security agencies were pursuing them.

The government has accused Bobi Wine’s supporters of instigating violence during and after the election. However, the opposition maintains that its members were attacked by security forces. Independent verification of the claims has not been possible.

Police declined to comment further on the situation, while the army spokesperson could not be reached.

The United Nations has expressed concern over the arrests and reports of violence. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for restraint and respect for the rule of law and Uganda’s international human rights obligations, according to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.

Bobi Wine has previously alleged that hundreds of his supporters have been illegally detained in recent months because of their political affiliation, accusing authorities of using intimidation to suppress dissent.

Opposition parties and human rights activists claim some detainees are being held in unofficial detention centres where torture is reported to occur.

The crackdown has intensified with the recent arrest of Muwanga Kivumbi, a lawmaker and Bobi Wine’s deputy in the NUP. Two other senior party officials have reportedly been missing for several days.

Bobi Wine, 43, said he fled his home after security personnel allegedly raided his residence shortly after the election.

President Museveni is widely believed to be grooming Gen Kainerugaba as his successor. The army chief has previously expressed interest in running for the presidency.