Ugandan court charges 152 suspects with Treason

By Halima Athumani

JINJA, Uganda (AA) - A Ugandan court has charged a local King and 151 of his royal guards with treason after recent clashes that left over 100 people dead.

King Charles Wesley Mumbere of the broader Rwenzururu Kingdom in Kasese district Western Uganda was charged together with 151 members of his royal guard who the government claimed were “under his command" with treason.

The suspects between the ages of 18 and 35 appeared before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Jinja district in Eastern Uganda and charged with participation in the late November clashes.

Among the dead were included 16 police officers while six guns were allegedly taken by the attackers from Rwenzururu Kingdom.

One of the defense lawyers Evans Ochieng raised a complaint before the court and said, “Some of my clients have gunshot wounds but have not been given treatment while in police custody.”

The court was filled with an awful stench indicating most of the frail looking suspects had not been allowed to clean up since their arrest in November and some still had wounds.

The Magistrate then ruled that they should be accorded treatment and their constitutional rights upheld by government.

The treason charge comes just a day after King Mumbere was again charged with several other counts including terrorism and robbery.

Mumbere was arrested on Nov. 27 after clashes with security forces in his Rwenzururu Kingdom. He is alleged to be after creating a sovereign state.

The Rwenzori region in western Uganda has witnessed recent violence. Since July 2014, 226 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed.