Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has fled the country following escalating political tensions in the East African nation, according to Kenyans reported.
In a video update shared on Saturday, Bobi Wine said he was forced to leave Uganda to attend to urgent matters abroad, amid a heavy crackdown by President Yoweri Museveni’s administration.
Wine, Museveni’s fiercest political rival, has been in hiding since the disputed January elections, which Museveni claimed to have won for a seventh consecutive term with 71.65 per cent of the vote, totalling 7,946,772 ballots.
Bobi Wine secured 24.72 per cent of the vote, or 2,741,238 votes, and had previously rejected the provisional results, describing them as a “massive fraud”.
The opposition leader did not specify whether his family, who have reportedly been targeted in past raids, would accompany him. He indicated, however, that he plans a public return to Uganda, promising to address supporters in a public rally upon his return.
In his statement, Bobi Wine said: “Two months ago, Museveni yet again usurped the will of the people of Uganda and declared himself president at gunpoint. A day later, gripped by shame and fear, the military invaded my home to harm me, but I was able to evade them and go into hiding.”
He added that over the past two months, the regime had searched for him everywhere, raiding the homes of his colleagues, mounting roadblocks, and keeping his home under siege, but they could not find him because the people of Uganda had sheltered and protected him.
Wine announced his exit from Uganda was temporary, saying, “I am announcing my brief exit from the country to handle important work. Over the next few weeks, I will engage with our friends and allies all over the world before returning to Uganda to continue the push for freedom and democracy! For now, let’s remain focused and united.”
The opposition leader has accused the Ugandan military of taking control of his home in the Kampala Metropolitan area and restricting access for his family.
On February 3, Wine said via social media that military forces had broken into his residence and barred family members from entering, intensifying concerns over political repression.
Following his initial disappearance, Uganda Army Chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba gave Bobi Wine 48 hours to report to the police, issuing threats via social media and claiming that 22 National Unity Platform supporters had been killed.
His comments, however, were met with criticism from as far as the United States and the United Kingdom, where there have been calls for the sanctioning of Uganda for its crackdown on dissenting voices.