Rwenzururu palace raided, king arrested

KASESE - The palace of Rwenzururu king Charles Wesley Mumbere was raided by security operatives on Sunday and the king arrested, police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi told New Vision.

Plans were under way to airlift Omusinga Mumbere to Kampala from Kasese Police Station where was being held, Kaweesi said.

Heavy gunfire was reportedly heard at the palace during an apparent altercation between royal guards and army operatives.

Earlier, second division army commander Peter Elweru had told New Vision on phone that they had not arrested the Omusinga but instead "a rebel commander".

Asked where the monarch was at the time, Elweru said Mumbere was still in Kasese amid unverified reports that he had been airlifted out of the area destined for the capital Kampala.

On the same day in Kampala, Police's Kaweesi addressed a press conference at the police headquarters in Naguru about the recent killings in Kasese.

He said 14 police officers and 41 Rwenzori attackers were killed in the clashes. Two Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers were injured, he added.

Kaweesi said that they believe that the recent attacks are politically motivated, adding that they have arrested more than a dozen ring leaders.