Deaths mount after Bobi Wine arrest triggers unrest in Uganda

The death toll from protests over the arrest of Ugandan opposition presidential hopeful and musician Bobi Wine has risen to seven as demonstrations entered the second day.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Patrick Onyango said on Thursday the toll is likely to rise after more than 30 people were injured during the protests on Wednesday in different parts of the East African country.

“There are those who are badly off,” he said.

READ MORE: Protests in Uganda after politician and pop star Bobi Wine's arrest

Protests resumed on Thursday in the capital, Kampala, with protesters blocking roads and burning tires.

Police and army have deployed heavily in the capital to stop the protests.

Police accuse Wine of flouting Covid-19 guidelines that require presidential candidates to address less than 200 people.

Wine, who has been arrested many times in recent years, has captured the imagination of many Ugandans with his persistent calls for President Yoweri Museveni to retire after 36 years in power. The election is early next year.

Kampala barricaded

Demonstrators had erected barricades and lit fires on some roads in the capital Kampala and at least one other town to protest against Wine's arrest.

Wine's large following has rattled the ruling National Resistance Movement and security forces have frequently fired teargas at his rallies and detained and beaten his supporters, witnesses say.

Since expressing his intention to replace Museveni, Wine has won a large following, especially among young people in the East African country.

Many supporters say they are drawn to him by the criticism of Museveni's government woven into his lyrics. Others say that as a young leader he is better positioned to tackle the challenges they face.

Wine's large following has rattled the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and security forces have frequently fired teargas at his rallies and detained and beaten his supporters, witnesses say.

On the day he was nominated early this month, a squad of military and police personnel used metallic tools to break into his vehicle. He was subsequently detained briefly and police used teargas to disperse his supporters.