The leader of the Ugandan opposition, Bobi Wine, declared on Saturday January 17 that he had escaped an intervention by security forces at his home the same day, at a time when the country is awaiting the imminent announcement of the final results of the presidential election.
In a press release published on the social network X, the opponent indicated that he was no longer at home. "I want to confirm that I managed to escape them. Currently, I am not at home, although my wife and other members of my family are still under house arrest", he said, adding that he was actively sought and was taking measures to ensure his safety.
These statements come after contradictory information released earlier in the day. Bobi Wine's party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), claimed that a military helicopter had landed at his residence and that the opponent had been taken by force to an unknown destination. These claims could not be independently verified and were denied by the authorities.
Ugandan police assured that the opponent was not detained. His spokesperson, Kituuma Rusoke, said Bobi Wine "is not under arrest", while acknowledging a visible deployment of security forces around his residence. According to him, this system is part of a broader preventive strategy targeting areas considered sensitive by the intelligence services.
The police also indicated that they had set up checkpoints to prevent the opponent's residence from serving as a gathering place likely, according to them, to incite violence.
A central figure in the opposition to outgoing President Yoweri Museveni, in power for forty years, Bobi Wine had earlier indicated that he had been placed under house arrest following the election. The election took place in a context of strong security presence and cutoff of Internet access, still in force on Saturday.
According to the NGO Amnesty International, at least 400 Bobi Wine supporters were arrested during the electoral campaign. The United Nations, for its part, denounced a vote marked by "widespread repression and intimidation". Several violent incidents were also reported after the vote, giving rise to divergent versions between authorities and opposition.
