{"id":104618,"date":"2021-01-19T11:09:43","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T11:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=104618"},"modified":"2021-01-19T11:09:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T11:09:43","slug":"uganda-accuses-u-s-of-subversion-after-envoy-tries-to-visit-wines-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/markets\/uganda-accuses-u-s-of-subversion-after-envoy-tries-to-visit-wines-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda accuses U.S. of subversion after envoy tries to visit Wine's house"},"content":{"rendered":"
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda\u2019s government spokesman accused the United States on Tuesday of trying to subvert last week\u2019s presidential elections after the U.S. ambassador attempted to visit an opposition leader being held under house arrest.<\/p> The military surrounded the home of popstar-turned-legislator Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, shortly after he cast his ballot in Thursday\u2019s presidential elections.<\/p>\n Incumbent Yoweri Museveni, 76, who has been in power since 1986, was declared winner of the poll with 59% of the vote against Wine\u2019s 35%.<\/p>\n The sharp, public rebuke to the United States from the Ugandan government is relatively unusual as the two nations are allies.<\/p>\n The Unites States supports Ugandan soldiers serving in an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia and has donated about $1.5 billion to Uganda\u2019s health sector in the past three years.<\/p>\n U.S. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown was stopped from visiting Kyagulanyi at his residence in a suburb in the northern outskirts of the capital, the embassy said in a statement late on Monday.<\/p>\n The mission said Brown wanted to check on the \u201chealth and safety\u201d of Wine, who became famous after years of singing about government corruption and nepotism, charges the government denies. Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said Brown had no business visiting Wine.<\/p>\n Related Coverage<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat she has been trying to do blatantly is to meddle in Uganda\u2019s internal politics, particularly elections, to subvert our elections and the will of the people,\u201d he said. \u201cShe shouldn\u2019t do anything outside the diplomatic norms.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown had a track record of causing trouble in countries where she has worked in the past, Opondo claimed, adding that the government was watching her.<\/p>\n There was no immediate comment from Brown or the embassy. The embassy has said last week\u2019s vote was tainted by harassment of opposition candidates, suppression of media and rights advocates and a nationwide internet shutdown.<\/p>\n \u201cThese unlawful actions and the effective house arrest of a presidential candidate continue a worrying trend on the course of Uganda\u2019s democracy,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The United States and the European Union did not deploy observer missions for the polls because Ugandan authorities denied accreditation and failed to implement recommendations by past missions.<\/p>\n During the campaigning security forces routinely broke up Wine\u2019s rallies with teargas, bullets, beatings and detentions. They cited violations of laws meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus for those actions.<\/p>\n In November, 54 people were killed as security forces quelled a protest that erupted after Wine was detained for alleged violation of the anti-coronavirus measures.<\/p>\n Wine and his National Unity Platform (NUP) have rejected the results and said they were planning a court challenge.<\/p>\n On Monday security forces cordoned off the party\u2019s offices in the capital. The party that was aimed at complicating their efforts to collect evidence of irregularities committed during the election.<\/p>\n