Fugitive Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine announced on Saturday that his wife was rushed to the hospital after soldiers held her at gunpoint and strangled her during a violent raid on their home.
Wine has been in hiding since the January 15 election, where President Yoweri Museveni, 81, was re-elected for a seventh term—a result that the opposition leader labeled as “blatant theft.”
His lawyer has urged the UN and the international community to seek guarantees for his safety following deadly threats in the wake of elections marred by repression and an internet blackout.
In a post on X, Wine stated that “hundreds of soldiers” raided his home in his absence, looting it and assaulting his wife.
“They put my wife on gunpoint, asking her to reveal my whereabouts,” he wrote. “They strangled her and insulted her.”
“My wife was rushed to the hospital, where she remains admitted, dealing with all the physical and psychological trauma.”
Museveni won 71.65 percent of the vote, compared to 24.72 percent for Wine, born Robert Kyagulanyi, a 43-year-old former ragga singer turned politician. Observers and NGOs criticized the results, noting an internet shutdown that lasted for days and the repression of opposition voices.
Museveni’s son and army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, threatened on X to hunt down and kill Wine, in a post that has since been deleted.
“In light of these reckless statements, we urgently call on the international community, including the United Nations, to demand immediate, verifiable guarantees of Mr. Wine’s safety and ensure he can return to his family without harm,” said Robert Amsterdam, one of Wine’s lawyers. “Mr. Wine has committed no crime. His only offense is exposing, once again, the brutal and dictatorial nature of President Museveni’s rule, through peaceful political opposition and the exercise of fundamental rights,” Amsterdam added.
Kainerugaba boasted on Friday on X that “so far we have killed 30 NUP terrorists,” referring to Wine’s party, the National Unity Platform. “We have arrested over 2,000 hooligans that Kabobi thought he would use,” he added, using his nickname for Wine.
The European Union has expressed concern, stating: “We regret pre- and post-electoral violence and threats, particularly against opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “following with concern the post-election situation in Uganda, including reports of arrests, detentions, and violent incidents involving opposition figures and supporters.”
