Africa News

Police arrest Uganda's opposition leader and others at protest march

Mar 31, 2012, 15:23 GMT

Kampala - Police in Uganda on Saturday arrested the country's opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, and others taking part in a march in the capital Kampala.

The opposition has been organizing protests against the high cost of living in the East African country since the beginning of last year. At least 20 people were killed and scores injured when police dispersed crowds in the first such protests.

'Dr Besigye and three other opposition members of parliament have been arrested. We do not have the total figures of those in the cells,' opposition legislator Ibrahim Nganda told dpa.

They were being held in police cells outside Kampala, he said.

Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said she was not in position to comment on the arrests.

The march took place as President Yoweri Museveni prepared to open the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Kampala, where police and security forces were deployed in large numbers.

Last year Museveni won presidential elections in which he defeated Besigye, his main political rival and former personal physician. Besigye denounced the election as fraudulent.

Museveni has been intolerant of protests and each demonstration has been crushed violently.

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