Today in History: Besigye Begins Four-Year Exile

What the report says

On Nile Post’s “Today in History” feature, the paper revisits the disappearance of Dr. Kizza Besigye from his Kampala residence on August 17, 2001, shortly after he emerged as President Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger in that year’s presidential election. The article says Besigye had finished second in the vote, which the Supreme Court upheld despite finding electoral irregularities, and that he then faced growing surveillance and limits on his movement.

According to the report, Besigye vanished in the evening and his wife, Winnie Byanyima, alerted the public, fueling speculation that he had been detained or abducted by state security. Nile Post says security personnel had previously stopped him at Lukaya while he was traveling to southwestern Uganda, adding to concerns around his safety.

The article says Besigye reappeared ten days later in an interview with Voice of America, where he explained that he had left Uganda for the United States and later South Africa after evading state intelligence. He said he feared for his safety and possible legal action by the government. The report also notes that authorities had linked him to rebel activity and bomb blasts in Kampala, allegations he denied.

Besigye’s absence from Uganda lasted four years, during which his supporters helped form the Forum for Democratic Change, which became a major opposition party. He returned in October 2005 and later ran against Museveni again in the 2006 election.