Africa
Bobi Wine Injured in Leg During Violent Confrontation with Ugandan Police
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine sustained a leg injury during a clash with police in Wakiso District. The incident, involving a tear gas canister, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights activists and political figures.
Bobi Wine, the opposition leader for Uganda, has been left with serious injuries after being shot in the leg during an altercation with police near Kampala. His political party, National Unity Platform, confirmed reports of his injury and video footage depicted him receiving assistance from supporters as he was escorted into a vehicle following the occurrence at Bulindo in Wakiso District. The specific cause of Wine’s wound remains uncertain; however photographs display a bleeding abrasion beneath his left knee indicating either gunshot or tear gas damage.
Wine, a well-known opponent who ran against President Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 presidential election, has frequently encountered violent clashes with law enforcement. Nevertheless, this is his initial occurrence of being harmed to such an extent and he is now under medical care in a nearby hospital.
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The police alleged that Wine disregarded the guidance to avoid conducting a street procession, resulting in an altercation. They announced their plan to investigate the purported shooting incident.
The incident was deemed an assassination attempt by Wine’s party, which strongly denounced it. A former entertainer who has now become a politician, Wine is particularly revered among the youth in Uganda. However, his political journey thus far has been marked with various obstacles such as banned rallies and frequent harassment and violence from security personnel. Meanwhile Museveni – who has held power for over three decades- refuses to step down despite mounting pressure to do so; moreover no peaceful transfer of leadership after independence in 1962 had succeeded yet in Uganda..