Besigye Links Bombs To Govt

Mar 18, 2001

FORMER presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, has said the bomb blasts in Kampala and Entebbe are linked to government agents.

By John Odyek FORMER presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, has said the bomb blasts in Kampala and Entebbe are linked to government agents. "There are some rumours in town that these bombs and grenades have been thrown by government agents and I think these rumours are not without cause," AFP quoted Besigye yesterday. AFP reported Besigye as saying he believed the bombs were planted by the security forces to justify the heavy military deployment in Kampala ahead of the elections. He said President-elect Yoweri Museveni wants to arrest him. "I think Museveni and his people have been trying to arrest me on all sorts of flimsy excuses right from before I declared my candidature," Besigye said. Adding, "Even four months ago, there were attempts to frame me and suggest I was in contact with slain (Democratic Republic of Congo president Laurent) Kabila and Sudan," AFP reported. Besigye told The New Vision yesterday his lawyers would today make a formal protest against the Government's decision to restrict him from travelling out of the country. "I have talked to my lawyers, a formal protest will be done tomorrow (Monday)," Besigye said. Besigye told a news conference on Saturday at his Luzira residence, that he would take legal action against barring him from flying abroad. The army on Saturday afternoon stopped him boarding a South African Airways flight to Johannesburg. The Chief of Military Intelligence, Lt. Col. Noble Mayombo, said some former presidential candidates and other political leaders were suspected to be behind the bombs rocking Kampala and Entebbe. He said any of the suspected leaders had to seek clarification from the President or the minister of security before leaving the country. Besigye said he was scheduled to meet his Ugandan supporters in Johannesburg during a three-day working holiday. He said he does not participate in any clandestine activities and does not support the ADF rebels. He accused the army and security forces of being inefficient in preventing the bomb blasts. "Kampala has been saturated with security people in uniform and non-uniform. What sort of security are they providing?" he asked. Besigye's wife, Winnie Byanyima also MP Mbarara Municipality, appealed to Museveni's supporters and the donor community to wake up and condemn repressive actions. She said Museveni has begun going down a path of repression. Ends

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});