Jonathan’s Convoy Stoned in Uganda

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Onche Odeh

12 May 2011

Reports emanating from Uganda have revealed that Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, was on Thursday pelted with stones by supporters of Uganda’s main opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, on his way from Kampala for a dinner in Entebbe.

Accounts from Uganda disclosed that the incident occurred while Jonathan and the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, were on their way from Kampala to Entebbe for a buffet after Museveni’s swearing in, held in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

Jonathan was in Uganda to honour Museveni, who was on Thursday sworn in for a fourth term in office.

Daily Independent gathered from sources in Uganda that the incident was neither directed at Jonathan nor Museveni, but the result of a scuffle that ensued between the police and Besigye’s supporters along the Entebbe-Kampala road.

According to one of such accounts, Jonathan ran into the opposition leader’s supporters who had gathered in large numbers to welcome Besigye on his way back to Uganda from Nairobi, Kenya, where he went to receive medical attention via Entebbe, where the country’s international airport is located.

Trouble, we hear started when Besigye could not make the Entebbe-Kampala trip within the one hour he was given to make way for visiting dignitaries, who were due to dine with Museveni in his Entebbe residence.

According to the source, “The crowd of supporters just would not let Besigye go as they turned out in large numbers to welcome him home, hence the delay he encountered at Entebbe.”

It was in an attempt to disperse the crowd for Jonathan and Museveni to wade through that, it was learnt the supporters started throwing stones at the police. One of the policemen was reportedly injured, which gave the others a reason to spray tear-gas to control the crowd.

At this point, it was gathered, Jonathan and Museveni’s convoy arrived. The supporters of the opposition leader, however, continued pelting stones on the police in anger, which was extended to the convoys of Museveni and Jonathan.

Reports, however, have it that the situation was quelled afterwards. Jonathan was one of nine African heads of state that attended Museveni’s inauguration. Those in attendance included Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Museveni is one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents along with Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.

Meanwhile Besigye was unrepentant as he reportedly described Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) government as a regime in panic.

Besigye who addressed journalists in Nairobi denounced President Museveni inauguration on Thursday.

He, however, said ” I will continue to participate in all protests , provided they are peaceful until desired goals are achieved.”

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