Ugandan Opposition Leader Injured During "Walk To Work" Protests
- 13 years ago
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In Uganda, walking to work has become a way of showing solidarity with the many people who can no longer afford public transport. However, on Thursday the military police used rubber bullets to disperse this form of protest. The Ugandan opposition leader was injured and required an operation on his hand.
Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has been injured while taking part in a protest against high food and fuel prices on Thursday.
Military police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse more than 1,000 demonstrators.
Droughts across Uganda, as well as higher global oil prices, have contributed to the rising food prices.
The consumer price index jumped 4.1 percent in March from February, pushing the year-on-year inflation rate to 11.1 percent, the fifth straight rise.
Besigye says the government has been spending recklessly to sustain itself in power.
[Kizza Besigye, Ugandan Opposition Leader]:
"What is happening clearly is that we have a regime that is hell bent ruling by terror, violating citizens rights with impunity, our protest does not call for any procession actually, does not call for any assembly, we just asked people to walk to work two times a week and we want to do so to show solidarity with the already tens of thousands of people who are walking to work every day because they can no longer afford the cost of public transport."
Besigye underwent an operation on his hand at Kampala Hospital following injuries sustained during the protest.
The current leader Yoweri Museveni has been in power for 25 years.
In Uganda, walking to work has become a way of showing solidarity with the many people who can no longer afford public transport. However, on Thursday the military police used rubber bullets to disperse this form of protest. The Ugandan opposition leader was injured and required an operation on his hand.
Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has been injured while taking part in a protest against high food and fuel prices on Thursday.
Military police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse more than 1,000 demonstrators.
Droughts across Uganda, as well as higher global oil prices, have contributed to the rising food prices.
The consumer price index jumped 4.1 percent in March from February, pushing the year-on-year inflation rate to 11.1 percent, the fifth straight rise.
Besigye says the government has been spending recklessly to sustain itself in power.
[Kizza Besigye, Ugandan Opposition Leader]:
"What is happening clearly is that we have a regime that is hell bent ruling by terror, violating citizens rights with impunity, our protest does not call for any procession actually, does not call for any assembly, we just asked people to walk to work two times a week and we want to do so to show solidarity with the already tens of thousands of people who are walking to work every day because they can no longer afford the cost of public transport."
Besigye underwent an operation on his hand at Kampala Hospital following injuries sustained during the protest.
The current leader Yoweri Museveni has been in power for 25 years.