Ugandan Military Chief Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Fugitive Opposition Leader Bobi Wine

KAMPALA, Jan 20 (Reuters): Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, issued a 48-hour ultimatum for opposition leader Bobi Wine to surrender to authorities, following the recent presidential election that saw incumbent Yoweri Museveni declared the winner. In a series of posts on the social media platform X, Kainerugaba, who is also Museveni’s son and a potential successor, referred to Wine by the derisive nickname “Kabobi” and made threatening remarks.

Wine, a former pop star and runner-up in the election, has alleged widespread fraud and fled a military raid on his home shortly before Museveni’s victory was announced. Since then, he has been issuing statements from undisclosed locations.

In his posts, Kainerugaba warned, “I am giving him exactly 48 hours to surrender himself to the police. If he doesn’t, we will treat him as an outlaw/rebel and handle him accordingly.” He also claimed that 22 members of Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) had been “killed,” adding, “I’m praying the 23rd is Kabobi.” Police, however, said Wine was not being actively sought.

The election campaign was marked by repeated clashes between security forces and Wine’s supporters, including incidents where police killed opposition supporters in central Uganda. Despite concerns, large-scale post-election violence, such as that seen in neighboring Tanzania in October, did not occur.

Kainerugaba, 51, has a history of making inflammatory social media statements, including threats against Kenya in 2022. He has openly discussed ambitions to succeed his father, Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, though Museveni denies grooming his son for succession.

Meanwhile, at least 118 NUP members faced court charges Monday related to election offenses, including unlawful assembly and conspiracy. NUP Secretary General David Rubongoya denied any involvement of party members in violent activity.