Police to crush planned protests by NUP, Besigye’s new pressure group

Police have warned that they will crush planned protests by opposition politicians led by Dr.Kizza Besigye’s new pressure group, the People’s Front for Transition and other politicians from the National Unity Platform.

In a statement released on Thursday, police say they have got wind of plans to hold countrywide protests that they said will kick off on Monday allegedly over the continued detention of opposition MPs Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana.

“The intelligence reveals how NUP has mobilized its political leaders at various levels from Members of Parliament, Councilors and other local actors of violence, to hold riots and political demonstrations, over the lawful remand of the two opposition. The other reasons they are fronting rotate around the ongoing bail reforms.  On the other hand, the Peoples Front for Transition, has through their leader, Col. Dr. Kiiza Besigye, called for all forceful means to take over a legitimate government,” Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said.

The police spokesperson however warned that security cant allow such “violent” riots to continue owing to what happened in November last year where over 50 people died and property worth millions of shillings was lost.

Enanga described as unfortunate, the plans by opposition politicians to incite the public into “violence and acts related to looting, destruction and vandalism as the only ticket to political ticket and relevance in Uganda.”

“These are however, not real or legitimate causes for them to pursue violent agendas. As joint security agencies, we took hard lessons from the November, 2020, riots and political demonstrations, and the collateral damage suffered.  This time we are going to respond swiftly and target the perpetrators, professional instigators of violence, ring leaders, participants and those who may be funding such illegitimate acts of violence,” he warned.

He revealed that so far four National Unity Platform supporters have been arrested in Kasese over the same for inciting violence and involvement in subversive activities and currently detained in Kasese.

“The operations to crack down all criminal elements involved in the planning and preparation for the violent riots and political demonstrations, are still ongoing. We do reiterate that we are not targeting free speech rights but rather focused on a calculated and loosely coordinated campaign of instigating violence and further escalate it into a civil uprising,”Enanga said.

“Our responses will ensure the rights of the majority of Ugandans, to life and property are not disrupted by these perennial instigators of violence.”