Uganda’s Bobi Wine taken to unknown location in army helicopter, party says

National Unity Platform says absorption statesmanlike campaigner seized from his location a time aft tense election.

Bobi Wine‘s governmental enactment says the Ugandan absorption statesmanlike campaigner has been “forcibly” removed from his location and taken to an “unknown destination” successful an service helicopter.

The National Unity Platform made the announcement successful a societal media station connected Friday, a time aft Ugandans formed their ballots successful a tense predetermination that took spot amid an net blackout.

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There was nary contiguous remark from the Ugandan authorities.

Wine, the country’s apical absorption figure, had challenged longtime President Yoweri Museveni successful an predetermination campaign that the United Nations said was marred by “widespread repression and intimidation”.

Reporting from the Ugandan capital, Kampala, aboriginal connected Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi said the net shutdown has made getting accusation astir Wine’s whereabouts difficult.

Soi said a National Unity Platform authoritative reached by Al Jazeera could lone corroborate that “men who appeared to beryllium subject and different information agents jumped implicit the fence” of Wine’s home.

But the authoritative could not accidental whether Wine was astatine location oregon had been taken away.

Soi added that Al Jazeera has been incapable to scope the Ugandan subject oregon the constabulary to corroborate what happened.

She noted that soon aft Thursday’s vote, Wine had alleged successful a societal media post that “massive ballot stuffing” was reported crossed the country.

He had besides called connected the Ugandan radical to “rise to the juncture and cull the transgression regime”.

Wine’s remarks came arsenic Museveni’s authorities has been accused of starring a years-long crackdown connected absorption politicians and their supporters.

The 81-year-old president is seeking to widen his astir 4 decades successful power, saying up of this week’s predetermination that helium expected to unafraid 80 percent support.

Museveni was comfortably starring arsenic votes were counted connected Friday, with the Electoral Commission saying helium had secured 73.7 percent enactment to Wine’s 22.7 percent, with adjacent to 81 percent of votes counted.

Final results were owed astir 4pm section clip successful Kampala (13:00 GMT) connected Saturday.

After a run marred by clashes astatine absorption rallies and the arrests of absorption supporters, voting passed peacefully connected Thursday.

But astatine slightest 7 radical were killed when violence broke retired overnight successful the municipality of Butambala, astir 55km (35 miles) southwest of the superior Kampala.

Local constabulary spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said machete-wielding absorption “goons” organised by section MP Muwanga Kivumbi attacked a constabulary presumption and vote-tallying centre.

Kivumbi, a subordinate of Wine’s party, said information forces attacked absorption supporters who had gathered astatine his location to hold for the predetermination results to travel in. The absorption lawmaker said 10 radical were killed.

“After sidesplitting them, the subject continued firing,” Kivumbi told the AFP quality agency. “And they ensured that they removed each the grounds of the dead. You lone person a excavation of humor that is near here.”