Security forces arrested several supporters and seized Bobi Wine's presidential bid papers. Singer-turned-politician Bobi Wine is seen as a challenger to Yoweri Museveni, who has been ruling Uganda for over 30 years.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Stringer
Advertisement
On Wednesday, Uganda's security forces detained opposition leader and presidential hopeful Bobi Wine, after raiding his office in the capital city of Kampala. The reason for the raid wasn't revealed.
"The police and the army raided the office of the NUP, sealed off the premises and all the roads leading to the place, before detaining Bobi Wine and other party officials," Wine's lawyer, Anthony Wameli, told AFP.
Wine was in a meeting with other leaders of his party, the National Unity Party (NUP), when police raided the office and cordoned off the area.
Security forces also arrested several supporters of Wine and seized papers which had signatures endorsing his candidacy for next year's election and promotional materials like red berets and T-shirts.
Wine told Reuters that security forces had also seized 23 million Ugandan shillings ($6,200, €5,300) from his office.
Bobi Wine on Uganda elections
06:30
This browser does not support the video element.
A spokesman for the police, Fred Enanga, told news agency DPA that security forces were looking for army uniforms in the NUP office they claim were being used "illegally" by civilians.
"We were targeting all locations that are illegally supplying and using uniforms whose ownership and designs was gazetted and a preserve of the armed forces," said Enanga.
Supporters of Bobi Wine gatheredoutside his campaign headquarters in Kampala after police raided the officeImage: Ronald Kabuubi/AP Photo/picture-alliance
He is seen as a challenger to the current president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, who plans to run for a sixth term in February 2021.
"It's the habit of President Museveni and his regime to intimidate his most fierce opponent especially ahead of elections ... This is basically to intimidate people," Wine told news agency Reuters, after the raid.
Wine announced in 2019 his decision to run in the presidential race to challenge Museveni, who is known for his intolerance of the opposition.
Museveni has been ruling Uganda since 1986 and has been accused by his critics of using the armed forces to stay in power.
Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda for over three decadesImage: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Novoderezhkin
Wine has been arrested several times, put under house arrest and charged in court, since becoming an MP in 2017. He has called for Museveni to retire.
Meanwhile, Museveni has accused Wine of encouraging young people to riot. The president said that people associated with Wine are a misguided group being used by some foreigners to "destabilize" Uganda.
The color of blood, rage and revolution has been showing up more and more in African opposition circles. Overalls, T-shirts or red berets have been favored by politicians, activists, and students.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Z. Auntony
Leader in red
Julius Malema and his allies founded South Africa's far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party after being expelled by the youth league of the ruling African National Congress in 2013. Malema and his party have since gained wide pan-African appeal.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Tukiri
Color for change
Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) came to prominence at the height of the country's spiral into an economic downturn from which it is yet to recover. The T in its name is a reference to the party's late founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was detained and tortured by the previous government of Robert Mugabe. MDC gatherings were banned recently.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Z. Auntony
Ghetto president
Bobi Wine is the stage name of the leader of Uganda's People Power Movement, Kyagulanyi Ssetamu Robert. He is a popular musician. Uganda's long-time President Yoweri Museveni has banned the red beret favored by Wine and his supporters, saying it should be reserved for the military.
Image: picture-alliance/Cover Images/L. Dray/
#BringBackOurGirls
In April 2014, 276 school girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Chibok in Nigeria's Borno state. Dozens of girls were later freed or escaped but most are still being held captive by the extremist group. Aisha Yusuf has been one of the most vocal advocates for their release. An international campaign for their release uses hashtags that include #BringBackOurGirls and #ChibokGirls
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Alamba
No to a white-out vote
The alleged use of correction fluid on marked ballots in Malawi's May 2019 presidential election has caused widespread outrage. The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and its supporters have been calling for the resignation of the chair of the country's electoral commission, Jane Ansah, ever since.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Gumulira
#MustFall movements
In recent years, various movements have sprung up, many of them led by students protesting on the streets and on the internet under hashtags such as #FeesMustFall or #RhodesMustFall and #GhandiMustFall, over colonial-era public statues and ideas.
Image: Reuters/S. Sibeko
Seeing red
Guinea has seen regular anti-government protests since October 2019, with participants wearing the color of the opposition coalition. Many Guineans are angry over the West African country's octogenarian leader Alpha Conde's plans to revise the constitution and make a third presidential term possible.
Image: AFP/C. Binani
Red for revolution
Red has always been the color of the revolution since at least 1848. Roman generals had their bodies colored red to celebrate victories whilst the Ancient Egyptians and Mayans colored their faces red in ceremonies. Soviet Russia adopted a red flag following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, later followed by China, Vietnam, and other communist countries.
