Ugandan main opposition leader arrested

Gotta feel a bit sorry for Yoweri Museveni, the old dinosaur who runs Uganda. When he took power in 1986 following a guerrilla war, the African Big Man was in vogue. From Mobutu in Zaire to Omar Bongo in Gabon to Daniel arap Moi in neighboring Kenya, the head of state-as-God phenemon seemed well-entrenched. Little did he know that this trend would start its downward decline in the 1990s. Museveni never adjusted.

For most of the 1990s, Museveni and Uganda was seen as the pearl of the continent, a seemingly well-governed exception to the mess that was much of Africa. At the very least, he was a vast improvement upon the country's previous megalomaniacal leaders: Milton Obote and Idi Amin.

Then it all started going wrong for the Ugandan strongman. He risked his international reputation by collaborating with Uganda in an insane invasion of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was done under the pretext of creating a 'security zone' but was really about exploiting the eastern DRC's mineral wealth. Then, Uganda and Rwanda fell out and their armies fought each other... ON CONGOLESE SOIL!

After 19 years of banning all political parties, Museveni's regime finally legalized multipartism.

He even invited main opposition leader Kizza Besigye to return to the country. In addition to being the main threat to his power, Besigye was once Museveni's personal doctor. When Museveni invited Besigye to return to the country, he promised that doctor wouldn't be arrested.

So Besigye came home on Nov. 1. And less than two weeks later, he was... you guessed it... arrested on dubious charges.


Update: a spokesman for Besigye's party has said Besigye is likely to remain in jail for a year before standing trial, due to Uganda's law on treason. Convenient for the Museveni regime since the next presidential election is in a few months. If found guilty, Besigye could face the death penalty. Additionally, riots have erupted in Kampala when the public learned of his arrest. This arrest could be a horrific miscalculation by Museveni. If Ugandans feel that they risk their freedom (or their lives) by simply taking part in the democratic process, then they may turn less than peaceful means to change their government. Museveni, better than anyone else, should know the resentment that builds when a regime excludes all those who disagree with the Leader; that's how he got to power himself.