Thursday, April 28, 2011

Ugandan Opposition Leader Violently Arrested

Uganda's opposition leader Kizza Besigye is detained for the fourth time in three weeks on Thursday (April 28) during a fifth round of protests against high food prices, as his support grows amongst ordinary Ugandans.
Besigye, who was dragged from his car by police and thrown into a pickup truck, this is the fourth time in three weeks that Besigye, runner-up to General Yoweri Museveni in a disputed February election, has been violently arrested pro- Museveni government troops over the protests that have left at least five dead.

Besigye's arrest comes a day after he was released on bail, and immediately vowed to carry on the campaign of protests.
Besigye greeted his supporters as he came out of the court house on Wednesday (April 27), where hundreds of his supporters where waving to him and carrying posters reading; Mandela of Africa.
The protests, dubbed "walk to work" to highlight the fact that people cannot afford fuel, have triggered bloody clashes between opposition supporters and police and soldiers in Kampala and at least five other towns in the East African country.
Inflation has risen across East Africa in recent months, pushed up by increases in food and fuel prices.
Some analysts say Besigye is opportunistically using widespread anger about rising prices to try to topple the government.
But Museveni blames drought and soaring global oil prices for Uganda's double-digit inflation rate.

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