Ugandan presidential candidate abducted by military, opposition party says

By Tobi Raji, KAMPALA Uganda 

The Ugandan military forcibly removed pop star-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) from his home on Friday and took him to an unknown location, said officials in Wine’s National Unity Platform party, a stunning development in a bruising presidential race marred by violence and allegations of electoral interference and voter suppression.

Wine, who is waging a second challenge to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s decades-long rule, alleged widespread electoral fraud and “ballot stuffing” on Friday. 

Hours later, Ugandan military forces cut power to Wine’s compound, scaled the fence surrounding the residence and began to break into the home, National Unity Platform spokesman, Joel Besekezi Ssenyonyi, told local media.

The Ugandan military forced Wine into a helicopter and flew him to an unknown destination, the party said in a post on X. 

The Ugandan military and Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Wine rose to fame after releasing songs critical of Museveni’s government, drawing support from the East African nation’s young demographic, though his emergence as a key opposition figure placed him in the crosshairs of Museveni’s security forces. 

Wine sought medical treatment in the United States in 2018, saying he was tortured by the Ugandan military while in custody following a scuffle at a political rally where his driver was fatally shot.

On Friday, Wine said Museveni’s security forces had surrounded his compound, effectively placing him on house arrest. He accused security forces of killing 10 of his supporters.

“This ain’t strength,” he said on X. “They do this out of fear for the people they have offended by committing so many atrocities against them. They do this because they are afraid of the people’s reaction after stealing their vote.”

The third longest-serving ruler in Africa, 81-year-old Museveni has led Uganda since 1986, when his guerrilla fighters seized control of the country, promising to restore democracy and promote human rights. 

But during his nearly 40-year rule, Museveni has scrapped presidential age and term limits, jailed political rivals and ordered violent crackdowns on anti-government protests in an effort to tighten his grip on power.