Uganda opposition party says its leader held at airport

"The cowardly regime has arrested our President upon arrival at Entebbe Airport. Wine ran against Museveni in the last presidential election in 2021 and lost although he rejected the results, saying there was widespread rigging and intimidation by security forces.

A senior figure from Uganda's main opposition party said its leader Bobi Wine had been arrested on Thursday at the Entebbe International Airport as he arrived from abroad.

In recent years Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has emerged as the strongest challenger to President Yoweri Museveni, 79, who has been in power in the east African country since 1986. "The cowardly regime has arrested our President upon arrival at Entebbe Airport. We set out to receive him today, but the panicky regime security could not even allow him into immigration," Mathias Mpuuga, leader of the National Unity Platform in the Ugandan parliament, said on his X account.

Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Wine ran against Museveni in the last presidential election in 2021 and lost although he rejected the results, saying there was widespread rigging and intimidation by security forces.