Prominent Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, a significant figure in the country’s political landscape, challenged incumbent President Yoweri Museveni in the 2016 presidential election, adding to a series of contentious electoral battles between the two. Recently, troubling news emerged regarding Besigye’s safety; his wife revealed that he was abducted during a public book launch in the bustling capital of Kenya and has now been forcibly taken to a military prison in Kampala.

Winny Byanyima, the passionate executive director of UNAIDS and a notable public voice, took to social media to share the family’s plight. She stated that Besigye’s relatives and legal representatives are desperately demanding access to him, deeply concerned about the justification for his detention in a military facility, which is emblematic of Uganda’s tense political climate. One of Besigye’s lawyers has verified the report of his detention and announced that he is slated to appear before a military court for an initial hearing later this Wednesday. In a show of solidarity, numerous supporters and party officials have gathered outside the military barracks in Kampala, anxiously awaiting news of his well-being and the proceedings that are about to unfold.

Kizza Besigye’s history is marked by numerous confrontations with the state; he has been arrested multiple times due to his unwavering stance against what many perceive as President Museveni’s increasingly authoritarian regime. Once entrusted as Museveni’s personal doctor during the 1980s, when the current president was still leading a rebel movement, Besigye’s transformation into a fervent critic reflects the deepening rift between them. Over the years, the Museveni government has been criticized for a range of human rights violations against opposition leaders and their supporters—a charge that officials have consistently denied, creating an atmosphere of tension and mistrust in Uganda’s political discourse.