Not far from Ethiopia, where civil war tensions are rising, Uganda has seen its worst unrest in years. It was reported that at least 45 people were killed by security forces who opened fire on protesters supporting Bobi Wine, the musician who is challenging President Yoweri Museveni, who has held office for 36 years.
The uprising was seen by outside observers as another example of the young population in a country turning their back on the entrenched political class. The protests were sparked by the arrest of Wine for holding rallies that disregarded the country’s virus guidelines, the Associated Press reported.
The Wall Street Journal described a chaotic scene in Kampala, the country’s capital, where security forces fired live rounds into the protests. Anyone who was caught wearing red – the color of Wine’s opposition party, called the “National Unity Platform” – was arrested. A police spokesman laid the blame squarely on the protesters and said it is “unfortunate that some lives have been lost as a result of his supporter’s violent conduct.”
Many protests in the country have been violent and have led to attendees being beaten, tear-gassed, arrested, and put in solitary confinement, The New York Times reported.
The election is on 14 January, and 17.6 million are expected to vote. Wine is joined by nine other hopefuls.
Wine, 38, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was released from jail after being charged with breaching the country’s coronavirus rules. Wine posted a video from the courtroom on his Facebook page, according to the Times, where he struck a defiant tone.
“It’s been tough. It’s been hell. We shall be free or we shall die while trying to be free. We are not slaves,” he said.
The Times pointed out that leaders in East Africa have used COVID to advance their agenda in the region and put in place restrictive laws to snuff out dissent. The paper said that outside countries, like the U.S., would normally try to intervene, but protesters in Kampala have watched the U.S.’s response to its own protests and likened the actions to human rights abuses.
The unrest is not limited to Uganda. The paper pointed out that opposition movements are gaining steam and facing increased challenges in countries like Ethiopia and Tanzania. These movements are squaring off against entrenched and powerful leaders.
“I know they want me dead as soon as yesterday,” Wine said. “We are campaigning every day as if it’s the last.”
TREND FORECAST: As we had forecast when the COVID War was launched early this year, throughout developing nations, as economic conditions continue to deteriorate, civil war will erupt as masses move to overthrow entrenched political systems. And, civil war will spread across borders escalating into regional wars, which will in turn escalate a major refugee crisis.
