Sawt Falasteen - Uganda opposition leader in hiding says left country

Wine, 44, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, went into hiding after a January 15 election in which President Yoweri Museveni, 81, was re-elected for a seventh term

Observers and NGOs have criticised the results of the polls, which the opposition has denounced.

"Fellow Ugandans and friends of Uganda all over the world, by the time you see this video, I will have left the country," Wine said in a video published on X.

Wine has not appeared in public since he fled, nor indicated where he is.

His lawyer had urged the UN and the international community to seek guarantees for his safety after deadly threats following elections marred by repression and an internet blackout.

In the video Saturday, Wine said he plans to advocate for sanctions against Uganda.

His deputy, Lina Zedriga, would assume the presidency of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party in his absence, he added.

Museveni "rigged" the election, Wine maintains.

"Out of shame and lack of legitimacy, him and his son are searching for me everywhere," he said.

"And that's why I'm leaving the country for a while."

"It's laughable that for almost two months, the entire security apparatus of Uganda has invested billions of taxpayers' money to search for me everywhere, but they failed to get me," he continued.

The Ugandan president's son and army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, 51, known for his often vulgar posts on social media, had said on X that he wanted Wine dead, a message he has since deleted.

He had also hailed the deaths of 30 opposition members and the arrest of some 2,000 of their supporters following the vote.

Wine said after his stint abroad, he will return to Uganda, "and let the regime do whatever they want to me in full view of the world".

"After all, I have not committed any crime. Running for president is not a crime," he said.

The opposition figure had already been detained and tortured during the 2021 elections.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST