{"id":422784,"date":"2011-05-12T11:38:03","date_gmt":"2011-05-12T11:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/12\/ugandans-braced-amid-swearing-in\/"},"modified":"2011-05-12T11:38:03","modified_gmt":"2011-05-12T11:38:03","slug":"ugandans-braced-amid-swearing-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/12\/ugandans-braced-amid-swearing-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Ugandans braced amid swearing in"},"content":{"rendered":"

12 May 2011<\/span> Last updated at<\/span> 07:38 ET<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Uganda is facing a potential political showdown after opposition leader Kizza Besigye returned to the country on the day President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for a fourth term.<\/p>\n

Security is tight, especially on the 40km (25 mile) road between the capital, Kampala, and Entebbe airport.<\/p>\n

Dr Besigye sought medical treatment in Kenya after being injured when he was arrested over anti-government protests.<\/p>\n

He is a former ally of Mr Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.<\/p>\n

Dr Besigye left Uganda, but returned in 2005 with the introduction of multiparty politics.<\/p>\n

‘Fraudulent president’<\/span><\/p>\n

Continue reading the main story<\/a><\/p>\n

Analysis<\/h2>\n

This is surely the Ugandan government’s worst nightmare. On the very day that President Yoweri Museveni is sworn into office, Dr Kizza Besigye jets in and receives a hero’s welcome from thousands of his supporters waving tree branches. As one tweeter put it: “Raining on your parade doesn’t get any worse than this.”<\/p>\n

The visiting dignitaries may have come to give a pat on the back for the president, but some will have seen first-hand the enthusiastic support that Dr Besigye has – especially in Kampala.<\/p>\n

The government accuses Dr Besigye of being a bad loser who is determined to cause chaos in order to boost his political profile. And there are plenty of Ugandans who would agree.<\/p>\n

But there is no denying the opposition leader has endured extraordinary amounts of oppression, from trumped-up court cases ahead of the 2006 election to the recent brutal treatment at the hands of the police; each time he bounces back.<\/p>\n

Yoweri Museveni won the election in February, but the government will reconsider the wisdom of backing his idea of dealing with the opposition with military might. So far, it has done nothing but boost Dr Besigye and hurt Mr Museveni.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr Besigye and his wife, waving to the crowds from an open-top car, were driven towards the capital through crowds of cheering supporters, says the BBC’s Will Ross who travelled with the convoy.<\/p>\n

The convoy advanced at walking pace followed by supporters on motorcycles, while others lined the road in their thousands, cheering and waving greenery.<\/p>\n

It was moving so slowly that it might not have reached the capital by the time visiting dignitaries, including several African heads of state, want to head the other way to the airport after Mr Museveni’s inauguration, our correspondent says.<\/p>\n

This opposition show of force is exactly what the government had been hoping to avoid on the day Mr Museveni is sworn in, he says.<\/p>\n

There are concerns that the police could use violence to disperse Dr Besigye’s supporters.<\/p>\n

Reuters news agency reports that police used some tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds at one stage, but they later regrouped and continued.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, police sprayed pink paint to disperse demonstrators in Kampala and at least nine people have been killed in recent weeks, according to Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n

Dr Besigye had been due to return on Wednesday, but says he was prevented from doing so – this was denied by Uganda’s authorities.<\/p>\n

On his arrival in Entebbe, Dr Besigye told the BBC that he would not be attending the inauguration of a “fraudulent president”.<\/p>\n

Mr Museveni took the oath of office at a ceremony at an airstrip in central Kampala, in front of thousands of supporters and the leaders of African countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

The ceremony was followed by a 21-gun salute.<\/p>\n

Egypt inspiration<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Besigye says he was cheated in February’s election, although he mustered only half as many votes as Mr Museveni.<\/p>\n

The opposition has since been involved in “walk-to-work” protests over the rises in the cost of food and fuel.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Uganda's<\/p>\n

Please turn on JavaScript.<\/strong> Media requires JavaScript to play.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

John Nagenda, a senior media adviser to President Museveni, told the BBC Network Africa programme that Dr Besigye is trying “to win on the street what he didn’t win with the ballot box”.<\/p>\n

The government accuses Dr Besigye of trying to organise an Egypt-style uprising. He has been arrested four times.<\/p>\n

The two used to be close allies, with Dr Besigye serving as Mr Museveni’s personal physician when they were fighting President Milton Obote’s government in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

Dr Besigye had a role in government when Mr Museveni took power, but they fell out about 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

Mr Museveni was once seen as part of a new generation of African leaders, replacing the post-independence “Big Men”.<\/p>\n

But the treatment of Dr Besigye means Mr Museveni’s commitment to democracy has now been questioned and some aid to Uganda has been cut.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

View original post here:
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