KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) 鈥� Uganda鈥檚 army chief accused U.S. Embassy officials of helping as he went into hiding, in an escalation of political tensions that have alarmed Ugandans days after a disputed presidential election.
Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Yoweri Museveni鈥檚 , wrote on X that 鈥渦nimaginative bureaucrats at the Embassy鈥� for years have 鈥渦ndermined鈥� security ties between Uganda and Washington.
Citing intelligence in X posts that he has since deleted, Kainerugaba said on Friday that Wine 鈥渒idnapped himself and is missing鈥� while 鈥渋n coordination with the current administration at the U.S. Embassy in our country.鈥�
The U.S. Embassy didn鈥檛 comment.
Wine, whose legal name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was the most prominent of seven candidates who ran against Museveni in the Jan. 15 election. He went into hiding days after voting, saying he feared for his safety. He had campaigned in a flak jacket and helmet for the same reason.
Wine has since posted various videos of himself in different areas of Uganda, lamenting the injustice he says has befallen him and taunting the military for failing to find him. A recent post on X came after a visit to the family graveyard in a remote part of central Uganda.
Kainerugaba said in his latest volley of X posts that Wine was wanted dead or alive, drawing widespread concern from Ugandans who worry that harming Wine risks unrest.
Wine has a large following among young people in urban areas, many of them unemployed or angry with the government over official corruption and the lack of economic opportunities. Many want to see political change after four decades of the same leader.
鈥淲e are most certainly hunting Kabobi,鈥� he said, using a derogatory version of the opposition leader鈥檚 name. 鈥淗e is wanted Dead or Alive! It doesn鈥檛 matter how long it takes us, we will get him.鈥�
He warned that 鈥渇oreign powers who attempt to smuggle Kabobi outside the country鈥� face a rupture in relations.
Wine, 43, won 24.7% of the vote in the presidential election, according to official results that he rejects as fake.
Museveni, 81, garnered 71.6% of the vote, and will now serve a seventh term that would bring him closer to five decades in power. His supporters credit him for the relative peace and stability that has made Uganda home to hundreds of thousands fleeing violence elsewhere in this part of Africa.
Wine has said that his ability to evade the army shows that the government isn’t as strong as it appears, infuriating Kainerugaba. The military hasn’t said what charges Wine is being pursued for, with both the police and the information minister saying that Wine has committed no crime.
鈥淭he whole army is looking for one person. It鈥檚 now coming to 10 days, but they have failed to find me,鈥� Wine said in a video posted on X on Monday. 鈥淭hat means they are not as strong as they tell you.鈥�
Kainerugaba responded to Wine鈥檚 taunts by calling him a coward, a 鈥渂aboon鈥� and a 鈥渢errorist.鈥�
The army chief took responsibility for a Jan. 23 nighttime raid on Wine鈥檚 house during which his wife says she was and had to be hospitalized for anxiety and bruises. Kainerugaba denied that Barbara Kyagulanyi was beaten by soldiers, who went searching for Wine at the family home.
Hundreds of Wine鈥檚 supporters have been detained for alleged offenses during and after voting, according to police.
One of Wine鈥檚 deputies in his National Unity Platform party, Muwanga Kivumbi, has been over a violent incident in central Uganda while the suspect tried to retain his seat as an opposition lawmaker in Parliament.
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