Ugandan security forces prevent the US ambassador from visiting the main opposition leader at his home

Embassy slams Kiagulani’s “house arrest” after vote

Madrid, 19 years old. (European Press) –

Ugandan security forces prevented, on Monday noon, the US ambassador to the country, Natalie Brown, from visiting the main opposition presidential candidate, Robert Kyogulani, who denounced fraud after the victory of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni.

In a statement, the embassy stressed that “the United States meets regularly with representatives of the Ugandan political spectrum,” and confirmed that Brown’s visit aims to “verify the health and safety of Kyogulani, as he is unable to leave his home due to the security forces’ cordon of his home.”

Similarly, it has been criticized that “the electoral campaign in Uganda has been characterized by harassment of opposition candidates, campaign members and their followers, suppression of the activities of the media and civil society organizations, and internet bans at the national level before, during and after voting”.

He said before asking the government to “respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens.”

Finally, the US Embassy in Kampala highlighted in its statement, which it posted on its Facebook account, that “no person should be unlawfully deprived of his means of communication and his freedom to leave his home, if he decides to do so.”

The opposition leader, known as Bobby Wayne, denounced what happened via Twitter and noted that the US ambassador “made an effort to visit” but “had to turn around” by order of the soldiers who kept him “kidnapped”. With his wife “for five days”.

For his part, Ugandan police spokesman, Fred Inanga, questioned Brown’s visit and accused Washington’s role in the internal affairs of the African country, Uganda’s Daily Monitor reported.

“What role does the United States play in politics in this country? Does the US ambassador have a personal connection to Kyajilani? This raises more doubts. What would she have done there?” asked Inanga.

In this sense, he stressed that the deployment of security around Bobby Wayne’s home is a “preventive measure” as a result of alleged intelligence about protests and possible unrest as a result of the election results announcement.

The opposition National Unity Party led by Kyogulani denounced election fraud, and Bobby Wayne himself confirmed after the preliminary preliminary results that he was the winner of the elections.

The election

The elections were held in a particularly tense context due to the growing crackdown on dissent and the killing of more than 50 people in November due to the security forces’ move against protesters after Kyogulani was arrested during an election event.

The main challenger to Museveni, who has led the country since 1986 and secured a sixth term after a series of constitutional changes, was Kyagulani, the famous singer who was elected MP in 2017, to be able to go to the polls.

On Saturday, Museveni acknowledged the support Bobby Wayne has among the youth, though he denied that this gave him the win. “I’ve heard that thanks to the youth support, Bobby Wayne should have won. But the truth is I got five million votes which is only three million,” he said.

Finally, the President emphasized that “any attempt to confuse will be defeated once and for all.” “If anyone dares to disturb our peace, we will deal with it decisively,” the historic Ugandan president and former combatant said during the regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote.