Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni says that 54 people extra-judicially murdered by officers of the Ugandan armed forces during a protest were insurrectionists. 

Mr. Museveni in an interview with CNN Tuesday evening said that the 54 Ugandans murdered were insurrectionists who attacked the security forces during their protest, causing the military to respond with killings.

There has been political uprising in Uganda ahead of Thursday’s general election which has led to riots and loss of lives.

The 76 year old president who is seeking re-election for the sixth term struggled to answer questions relating to human rights violations and clamp down on opposition. 

Since Mr. Museveni became president, Ugandan electoral laws have been amended first from changing the two term rule and then the age limit. 

While he says that he would accept the election result if he looses,  his main opposition, 38-years-old Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu popularly known as Bobi Wine has experienced unparalleled state repression with numerous attacks. 

Many of Mr. Kyagulanyi’s assocites have been violently arrested and some killed. 

Although not less than 18 million Ugandans have registered to vote in the general elections, the political climate in Uganda appears to be dictatorial and undemocratic. 

Bobi Wine has had to run his campaigns putting on bullet-resistant vest and helmet and many of his campaigns have either been forcefully stopped or violently dispersed by the military through the use of teargas and sometimes, live bullets.

He has been arrested and jailed on several occasions, alongside many of his supporters.