Parts of Kampala closed off as Ugandans protest against popstar politician’s arrest
Demonstrators set fire to piles of tyres and pallets, threw stones at police officers and blocked traffic
Kampala — Ugandan police and soldiers closed off parts of Kampala for several hours on Monday and fired teargas and shots into the air, to break up protests over the arrest of a prominent opposition legislator. Popstar-turned-politician Bobi Wine was one of five MPs arrested on August 13 on the eve of a parliamentary by-election in the northwest town of Arua, after President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy was pelted with stones by their supporters, according to authorities. The arrest of the popular MP — a vocal critic of the long-serving president — has angered many in Uganda, and protests erupted in the capital on Monday over his ongoing detention. Demonstrators in central Kampala set fire to piles of tyres and wooden pallets, blocking traffic, and lobbed stones at police officers while supporters cheered their encouragement from shopping arcade balconies, an AFP reporter witnessed. Heavily armed police in anti-riot gear and soldiers took control of the streets around the bustling Kirek...
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