KAMPALA – Three months after presidential elections, the Government of Uganda has acknowledged that over 1,000 people were detained prior to the polls’ exercise.
Following pressure from the opposition –National Unity Platform –NUP, government acknowledged that security forces detained more than 400 supporters the Robert Kyagulanyi led party members – the internal media quoted several official spokesperson as saying.
In March, 18 young men had been reported taken from a village in Kampala, and were later released without charge; dumped near their village in the dead of night. Lots more were released similarly; others claim that they were mistreated during their detention, mainly in ungazetted facilities. NUP insists that state security agencies were carrying out kidnaps and abductions targeting their supporters.
UN observers have called on the authorities of Uganda earlier this week to cease targeting the political adversaries.
Uganda’s Foreign Affairs –Sam Kuteesa European Union diplomats accredited to the country, earlier in the week, denied that security agencies were kidnapping political opponents. He assured the diplomats that government was ready to ‘conclusively deal’ with anyone who carry out erroneous acts
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine was the leading rival to President Yoweri Museveni; he was arrested in March while directing a protest against the detention of many of his supporters in the aftermath of a presidential election but was released hours later without charge.
