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Policemen beat a suspected rioter in Mbale |
RIOTS erupted in Kampala and a few other towns yesterday morning, a day after the arrest of FDC boss Kizza Besigye. However, by mid-afternoon, calm had returned to Kampala and other trouble spots.
Besigye had been released on court bond on Thursday. The rioters, however, protested yesterday, citing excessive force by security.
The unrest started in Kampala’s Kisekka Market before spreading to downtown Kampala and the suburbs.
Angry youth burnt old tyres, barricaded roads with stones and logs and smashed car windscreens after rumours that Besigye was dead.
They engaged the Police and army in running battles in the city centre and several suburbs, including Kireka, Bweyogerere, Nateete, Bwaise, Kalerwe, Nakawa, Banda, Namasuba, Zana, Najjanankumbi, Kyaliwajjala, Kasubi, Kawempe and Ntinda.
Makerere University students also threatened to demonstrate but Police moved in quickly and stopped them.
Using waste paper and polyethylene bags, the rioters lit bonfires on Kampala and Jinja roads, disrupting public and private transport.
There was a rush to leave the town, but taxis and bodaboda were not available or hiked the fares. Many walked home, getting caught up in more riots in the suburbs.
Kampala RDC assures
Kampala RDC assured people of security and said calm had returned.
“Anybody who continues to involve in riots or looting and distribution of subversive propaganda will face the law,” Alice Muwanguzi warned in a statement.
She added: “I wish to assure residents and those who work in the city of protection.”
Entebbe road
Traffic to the Entebbe International Airport was cut off for a long time after big groups blocked sections of the highway. The often busy road was blocked at Namasuba, Zana and Najjanankumbi. By 2:00pm, calm had not returned to that part of town.
In many places, the Police and army used tear gas and batons to disperse the rioters. People scampered as tear gas canisters were ejected from a pistol-like device into the air.
The Police also used a water cannon truck, which constantly released a coloured, itchy liquid into the crowd. The Uganda Red Cross Society said two people died and over 140 were injured.
Subsequently, several streets and roads, namely Kampala Road between the Constitutional Square and Hotel Equatoria, Bombo Road, Ben Kiwanuka Street, Kyaggwe Road, William Street and Burton Street, were deserted.
After calm was restored in Kisekka market, Lt. Col. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Special Forces boss, arrived in an armored vehicle, commonly referred to as Mamba.
He got out of the vehicle and interacted with other soldiers and a senior policeman, before jumping back into the vehicle that left via Nabugabo Road. A military pick-up truck and a Land Cruiser followed.
Similar scenes played out else where in the country.
The demonstration spread to the entire town where fires were lit. The rioters lit kiosks, prompting several traders to lock themselves up in shops while others dashed home.
A white double-cabin truck belonging to the fisheries department in Mbale was burnt beyond repair although its occupants were unhurt.
The Police were deployed to quell the riot, but were overwhelmed as the people threw back the smoking tear gas canisters at them. This prompted the army to deploy.
Mbale Police chief Charles Opolot said over 30 people were arrested. By press time, normalcy had returned to Kampala and Mbale.
In Wobulenzi, on the Kampala-Gulu highway, violent youth tried to block the road, but were dispersed.
US, Commonwealth react to Besigye arrest
Meanwhile, the US Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat have condemned the manner in which Besigye was apprehended.
In separate statements, they said the state agents’ actions raised “deep concerns.”
US assistant secretary Johnny Carson called for dialogue and reconciliation to resolve the differences between the Government and the opposition. He said there should “be a scope for civil peaceful protests” and that government reaction should be “tempered, responsible and civil”.
“We have seen the reports of the arrest of several former presidential candidates for attempting to carry out peaceful demonstrations in Kampala that were designed to highlight rising oil and food prices. We have also seen with great concern and regret the serious and apparent mistreatment of one of those candidates, Dr. Besigye,” the statement read.
The Commonwealth also said the manner in which Besigye was arrested was of “deep concern” to them.
Besigye has been the main protagonist in the walk-to-work demonstrations for the last three weeks.
The US embassy acting deputy spokesperson in another statement condemned the continued detention of opposition leaders. DP president Nobert Mao is still detained in Nakasongola Prison.
“We are troubled by the tragic loss of life and injuries at the hands of Uganda’s security forces during the recent “walk-to-work” protests, as well as the continued detention of opposition leaders,” said Mark Toner, acting deputy spokesperson.
Jinja
Jinja was largely peaceful after security thwarted plans by people in Kirinya to foment trouble. However, by presstime, residents of Kagoma Central had blocked the road to Kamuli.
Contributed by Herbert Ssempogo, Barbara Among, Donald Kirya, Raymond
Baguma, Juliet Lukwago and Luke Kagiri
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/753467
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