Military terror at Magere: Masked soldiers storm Bobi Wine’s home and isolate wife

Uganda’s military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Bobi Wine to surrender as the opposition leader remains in hiding after an alleged raid.

MAGERE, Uganda — Masked soldiers raided the home of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi on Friday night, reportedly assaulting family members and isolating his wife, according to statements from his political party.

Kyagulanyi, the National Unity Platform president popularly known as Bobi Wine, remains in hiding following a Jan. 16 raid on his residence. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kyagulanyi said the soldiers broke into his house and isolated his wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi.

The raid occurred hours after Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the military chief and son of President Yoweri Museveni, announced that authorities had killed 30 opposition supporters and detained 2,000 others following the disputed Jan. 15 election. Kainerugaba described those targeted as terrorists and said security forces were searching for additional leaders currently in hiding.

Joel Ssenyonyi, a spokesperson for the National Unity Platform, said he was denied access to the property by gunmen during the operation. He reported that doors were broken, rooms were ransacked and electronic devices were seized.

Police and military officials have not issued public statements regarding the Friday raid.

The political climate in Uganda has grown increasingly tense since Museveni, 81, was declared the winner of a seventh term with 71.65% of the vote. Kyagulanyi, 43, has rejected the results as fraudulent, citing allegations of ballot stuffing and voter intimidation during a period that included a national internet blackout.

The crackdown on the opposition has drawn international scrutiny. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the violence and arrests, urging all actors to respect the rule of law and human rights obligations.

In addition to the raids at the Kyagulanyi residence, other party leaders have been targeted. Muwanga Kivumbi, a lawmaker and deputy to Kyagulanyi, appeared in court Friday on terrorism charges and was remanded in custody until Feb. 3. Two other senior party figures have been missing for several days.

Museveni has led Uganda for nearly 40 years. While the government accuses opposition supporters of election-related violence, Kyagulanyi and rights activists maintain that security forces have illegally detained and tortured members of the National Unity Platform in unofficial facilities.