Welcome to Africanews

Please select your experience

Watch Live

News

news

Uganda's main opposition candidate arrested then released ahead of elections

Uganda's main opposition candidate arrested then released ahead of elections

Uganda

Uganda’s main opposition candidate, Kizza Besigye, was arrested and released on Monday, then later driven back to his home in Kasangati.

Besigye now defies the authorities and heads back to Kampala for campaigns! citizentvkenya

— Hussein Mohamed (HusseinMohamedg) February 15, 2016

According to media reports, police in Kampala fired teargas to disperse the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate. He was scheduled to address a rally at Makerere University however, police deployed heavily ahead of his planned rally.

Upon his release, Besigye said he would proceed with his campaign program as planned.The deployment came just minutes after police said they neither arrested nor detained Besigye .

The incident occured as the country heads to elections on Thursday.

Besigye is running against President Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking to extend his 30-year rule.

View more