Ugandan opposition leader still in hiding as feud with president's son escalates

Uganda's opposition leader Bobi Wine remains in hiding nearly three weeks after fleeing his home amidst allegations of a night raid by police and military, leaving behind his family. The 43-year-old politician, who was the main challenger to President Yoweri Museveni in the disputed election, has been engaging in a high-stakes social media feud with the country's military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The dispute began after Wine alleged mass fraud during the voting and called on supporters to protest. Since then, Wine has been posting text and videos on social media rejecting the election results and taunting Kainerugaba for failing to find him. In a recent post, he wrote: "I advise the regime to stop looking for me – I will resurface at an appropriate time. The best they would do is to peacefully relinquish power and let the people of Uganda decide their own destiny."

Kainerugaba has responded by declaring that Wine is wanted "dead or alive" and threatening to castrate or even kill him. He also denied that soldiers had assaulted Wine's wife during a raid on her house, which he claimed was staged for propaganda purposes.

The situation has escalated, with Kainerugaba accusing officials of the US embassy in Kampala of helping Wine go into hiding. However, after apologizing for being fed with wrong information, he later denied any pursuit by the military and accused the UPDF of being busy with other matters.

Noting the case of a reported assault on one of Wine's bodyguards last year, political analyst Timothy Kalyegira said Kainerugaba's statements should be taken seriously because they "translate some of these threats into reality." Robert Amsterdam, a lawyer for Wine, has called on international bodies to treat the threats "with the utmost seriousness" and demand guarantees for Wine's safety.

Wine's disappearance has raised concerns about his well-being, with many observers worried that he could face harm from Kainerugaba or other government officials. The situation remains tense, with both sides engaging in a public battle of words on social media.

u gotta wonder what kind of ppl r running the country there... like, how old is this guy who's threatening 2 kill someone just b/c they're dissin him online? Muhoozi Kainerugaba sounds like a total drama queen rn, and i'm low-key impressed that Bobi Wine isn't even hiding properly lol. The guy's like "I'll resurface when the time is right" while Kainerugaba's all "castrate him dead or alive". It's just so over-the-top . Can we pls just get to the bottom of this and make sure that Wine is safe? His life is literally on hold rn, and it's not fair . We need 2 see some actual action from the authorities here, not just these threats & accusations back & forth .

man this whole situation is getting outta hand ugh, kainerugaba needs to chill out already wine's just trying to express himself and the gov't is being super aggressive about it and what's with all these death threats? like seriously, can't they talk it out in a civilized manner? and yeah, wine's got some valid points about the election results too, but still... this whole thing is just getting too intense gotta hope wine stays safe and doesn't get hurt

OMG this is getting outta hand! Like seriously, what kind of threats are we talking about here? "Dead or alive" and castrating him? Are they even joking?! And now he's saying Wine's wife was staged for propaganda? That's just low. The US embassy should be all over this, like what were they thinking to believe Kainerugaba in the first place?! Timothy Kalyegira is right though, these threats aren't to be taken lightly. I'm literally shaking thinking about Wine's safety . When will this dude resurface? And how can we even ensure his safety if he goes back out there? This is crazy!

I'm getting really worried about Bobi Wine . He's hiding out and the military is like super aggressive towards him . Muhoozi Kainerugaba's threats are crazy - dead or alive? that's some wild stuff. I don't get why he can't just let the people of Uganda decide who wins, you know? It feels like this is getting out of hand and someone could really get hurt . I hope they listen to those international lawyers and make sure Wine is safe . This whole situation is so tense and I'm not looking forward to what happens next...

This is getting out of hand . Like, dude, if you think threatening to castrate someone is not taken seriously, you're sadly mistaken . I mean, Kainerugaba's statements are literally "dead or alive" so we can't just ignore those threats . And can we please talk about the fact that he denied the assault on Wine's wife was staged for propaganda purposes? Like, come on , if you're going to deny it, own up and say what really happened instead of trying to deflect . And what's with all these international calls for Wine's safety? Like, we get it, he's in danger , but can't someone just go after Kainerugaba and his goons instead of always playing the victim?

This situation is super worrying for Uganda's democracy. I think Kainerugaba needs to back off and stop making threats against Bobi Wine - it's not cool. Wine has every right to express his opinions, even if they go against the government. And honestly, it's weird that the military chief is getting all aggressive on social media...

I'm also thinking about how this situation could affect Wine's supporters and family - they're the ones who are really taking the hit right now. I hope someone can mediate a conversation between Wine and Kainerugaba to calm things down. And what about the allegations of mass fraud? That needs to be investigated properly, not just ignored because it's convenient.

I'm no expert, but it seems like there's a whole lot of backroom politics going on here that need to be exposed. The world is watching, and I think Uganda deserves some answers

OMG you guys I'm literally shaking thinking about what could happen to Bobi Wine he's literally being hunted by the military I mean come on Muhoozi Kainerugaba declaring him "dead or alive" is so not cool and castrating him is like something out of a horror movie but seriously how far are they gonna take this? And what about the US embassy getting caught up in all this I hope Wine's team gets some serious support from international bodies because right now it feels like he's on his own and honestly I'm not sure how much longer he can keep going without getting hurt

"When you point one finger at someone, you miss the whole target."

It's crazy how this high-stakes game of cat and mouse is being played out between Bobi Wine and Muhoozi Kainerugaba, with each side trying to one-up the other on social media. But let's not forget that there are real people involved, including Wine's family and bodyguards, who are genuinely worried about his safety.

The situation is tense, to say the least. If you ask me, both sides should focus on finding a peaceful solution rather than engaging in this public feud. The international community should also be keeping a close eye on this situation, as the safety of Wine and other political opponents is at stake.

OMG, this is getting seriously out of hand ! I mean, Bobi Wine thinks he's all cool and clever posting his vids online, but Muhoozi Kainerugaba isn't having it . It's not like he's gonna find him or anything, right? Like, good luck with that . And what's up with the threats to castrate or kill him? Like, hello, basic human rights or something? . Wine needs to get outta here and hide for real, fam

omg whats going on in uganda!!! bobi wine is like totally living his best life hiding from the authorities lol but for real tho its so scary that he could be hurt i dont no what to think about kainerugaba he seems super aggressive but its not good either if wine thinks hes being hunted by the military idk how much longer can this go on maybe international bodies should like step in and help with security guarantees

omg this is getting crazy like what even is going on here? Bobi Wine is literally hiding and they're saying he's wanted dead or alive? and now Kainerugaba is threatening to castrate him i mean what kind of threats does that even imply? but at the same time, Wine is being super reckless with his tweets like a bit too many people are getting hurt in this drama it's like he wants them to come after him or something. and now the US embassy is getting involved? this is just getting too spicy

OMG this whole thing is soooo shady , and I'm low-key terrified for Bobi Wine's life ! Muhoozi Kainerugaba is being super aggressive , like, who needs that kind of energy? He's basically saying he's willing to harm someone just because they spoke out against him... not cool at all . The fact that his wife was allegedly assaulted during a raid on her house is, like, totally unacceptable . International bodies need to step in and ensure Wine's safety ASAP ! We can't have our leaders threatening people over social media . It's time for some serious accountability and peace in Uganda #JusticeForBobiWine #Uganda #PeacePlease

this is getting super scary for bobi wine and his fam if kainerugaba's threats are taken seriously it could be a total disaster we need to keep calling out human rights orgs & embassies to take action ASAP

its crazy how things escalated so fast... i mean wine is literally hiding for weeks now but its not like hes going anywhere , and kainerugaba is just making empty threats on social media . seriously though, this could get really ugly if someone gets hurt or worse . what's sad is that wine wasnt even given a chance to win the election fairly . its all about power struggles now...

.. this is getting crazy ... I'm really worried about Bobi Wine's safety. Kainerugaba's threats are way too serious and I don't think anyone should be taking them lightly . The situation with his wife also makes me think that the military might be trying to cover something up . I just hope he can get a safe place to hide until this blows over ... maybe some international organizations could step in and help mediate a peaceful resolution?

this is getting outta hand fam bobi wine's life is literally in danger and ppl r talkin trash on social media like it's no big deal how can u just declare someone wanted dead or alive and then deny it afterwards? it's not cool that wine's family is sufferin too, bein left behind with nothin kainerugaba needs to step up his game and stop playin games with ppl lives. wine's gotta stay safe right now, international attention should b on him 24/7

omg i cant even imagine what bobi wine is going through rn his case is so worrying, i feel bad for him and his family i mean whoever said those threatening things by kainerugaba should be held accountable no one deserves to get hurt or threatened like that the fact that he's hiding is crazy enough but now its like he has a price on his head i hope wine and his team are safe and that someone is keeping an eye out for him international bodies should definitely be paying attention to this situation and doing something about it we cant just sit back and watch someone get harmed over politics

its like kainerugaba is getting more agressive by the day he needs to chill and focus on the bigger picture wine's message is still resonating with ppl, but all this drama is just giving him free promotion meanwhile, its up to international observers to keep an eye out for wine's safety