Rabwoni Arrested

Feb 20, 2001

MAJ. Okwir Rabwoni, the head of presidential candidate Col. Kizza Besigye's youth desk, was yesterday forcefully arrested by the Military Police at Entebbe Airport's VIP room after a three-hour stand-off with security agents.

Besigye suspends campaigns; army cites murder plot By Felix Osike MAJ. Okwir Rabwoni, the head of presidential candidate Col. Kizza Besigye's youth desk, was yesterday forcefully arrested by the Military Police at Entebbe Airport's VIP room after a three-hour stand-off with security agents. Besigye later announced a suspension of all his campaign rallies until Rabwoni is released and election violence stopped (details on page 3). Army Commander Major General Jeje Odongo said in a statement yesterday, the arrest was made after the army received "reliable intelligence information" of a plot by the Besigye group to kill Rabwoni and blame it on the Government. He said Rabwoni was helping the Police with investigations and would be charged in court within 24 hours if necessary (details P3). Rabwoni, a former officer in the Rwanda army, is an MP representing the youth in western Uganda. He was due to fly to Adjumani, West Nile, where Besigye was scheduled to address a rally. United Airlines officials said the Control Tower refused to clear their plane to fly to Adjumani. Besigye cancelled the rally, saying he could not proceed when his chief campaigner had been arrested. Rabwoni was quoted yesterday saying he was forced by top military officers to sign a document declaring his withdrawal from Besigye's camp. Besigye yesterday threatened to immediately pull out of the race if the intimidation and harassment of his supporters continued. Rabwoni was arrested at 2:40pm by 20 armed soldiers after attempts by other security agencies, the Military Intelligence and the CID, failed. Rabwoni, wearing a black suit and a white shirt, was bundled into a waiting double-cabin pick-up truck H4 DF 485 and immediately whisked to Kampala under heavy escort. Shortly before his arrest, Rabwoni had told The New Vision, "There is no business taking me to the army barracks. I am not in the army. I have no business with the Military Intelligence. If there is any mistake I have made, they would have produced an arrest warrant and allowed representation by my lawyers." Reliable sources said Rabwoni on Monday went to the American Embassy for asylum. However, embassy officials would neither confirm nor deny the information. Besigye blamed the arrest on President Yoweri Museveni whom he said wanted to sabotage the campaigns and continue in office without an election. "The President is definitely involved in this. We may have to retire ourselves from the electoral process if it cannot be conducted in a lawful manner. We will have to withdraw ourselves and consider other measures," he said. He urged his supporters to remain calm. Besigye said they found the VIP room cordoned off by plainclothes security officers when his team arrived at about 10:30pm. The first two attempts by the security agencies were thwarted by Besigye who wrestled them out of the VIP room. He also threw a stool at them. The security agents had tried to lift Rabwoni off his seat. Besigye said Capt. Kayanja and Presidential Protection Unit officer Moses Rwakitarate led the first operation. There were reinforcements of plainclothes armed men who besieged the VIP room, blocking all the entrances and exits. East African Co-operation Secretary General Francis Muthaura witnessed the drama. Norwegian ambassador Arild Oyen arrived at the airport shortly after the arrest and was briefed by Besigye's wife, Winnie Byanyima, who is also the MP Mbarara Municipality. At about 11:00am, an armed man wearing Civil Aviation Authority uniform, I. Mande, told Rabwoni that he had been instructed by the Chief of Military Intelligence, Lt. Col. Noble Mayombo, to take him to Kampala. Mayombo is Rabwoni's younger brother. Shortly after, CID officers, who said they had been sent by acting CID director Erasmus Opio, made a second attempt to arrest Rabwoni but Besigye challenged them to produce an arrest warrant, which they didn't have. He said he had spoken to Opio on phone and he told him he had instructions from Mayombo to arrest Rabwoni. Rabwoni had earlier told The New Vision that he would not move out of the VIP room unless he got commitment from Museveni about his safety. At 2:40pm Mubende LC5 chairman Col Kasirye Ggwanga met Besigye in the VIP room but feigned ignorance of the operation. "What is going on? Who has done it? There is no way they can refuse you to go. Who is arresting who on whose orders?" he asked before moving upstairs to make a phone call. At 2:50pm, armed guards filed past aviation officials, ordered them to open the gate, matched to where Rabwoni and Besigye where seated. "Close in on him. Get that small man," shouted their commander who could not be identified. There was a scuffle as Besigye and Byanyima tried to rescue Rabwoni but they were overpowered and Rabwoni was carried away. One of Besigye's supporters hurled a glass at the soldiers as they left the room. A video tape for Media Plus was grabbed by security men. The press were chased away from the VIP room before the arrest. Work at the airport came to a standstill as the soldiers swung into action. Anti-riot Police was deployed. Security was tight and the presidential jet was moved to the military airbase. Rabwoni on Sunday wrote to the Electoral Commission pinning Mayombo and other army officers for threatening him with death. He said he was picked up from his home in Bunga, near Kampala, at 8:00pm by Mayombo and driven to the International Conference Centre where he was forced to sign a document prepared by Mayombo. The document was titled, "Withdrawal from Elect Kizza Besigye Task Force." He named presidential adviser Maj. Gen. David Tinyefuza, Gwanga, Maj. Goa and deputy CMI director Maj. Mugisha as the other officers who intimidated him. But Tinyefuza dismissed Rabwoni's claims as lies and called him a "drunkard." He said, "I can intimidate Besigye and his wife but not Okwir. Me, Tinyefuza, forcing Okwir. I am above that," he said. He said Rabwoni met him at Sembabule on Sunday and said his life was in danger. Those who were scheduled to travel with Besigye were: Buganda state minister for youth affairs Kabuuza Mukasa, James Opoka, Prossy Nambuya, Dorothy Tanga and three Police escorts Adipa, Twinomusinguzi and Ogwal who had earlier been disarmed. Unconfirmed reports said Rabwoni was held at Makindye barracks. Ends

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