Scores of soldiers and police patrolled the streets of the Ugandan capital in pickup trucks and on foot on Saturday following riots that have killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens of others.
A sense of order returned to Kampala, with children playing in burned-out police cars being the most obvious sign of the turmoil over the past few days. The clashes since Thursday have been between the government and members of Buganda, one of Uganda’s four ancient kingdoms.
Members of the Buganda ethnic group have clashed previously with the government over land rights. The government had prevented a representative of Buganda King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II from traveling to a region near the capital Thursday on “security grounds.”
PHOTO: EPA
Many saw it as an insult to the king.
In addition to the fatalities, 95 people were wounded and more than 500 suspects were detained, police inspector Kale Kaihura said.
The threat of more violence has not entirely disappeared.
Reporters witnessed police officers singling out groups of young men and beating them with sticks and rifle butts.
Pedestrians ran past police on street corners with their hands in the air to show they were not rioters. Kaihura encouraged members of the public to report unprovoked police beatings.
The government forbade the king to attend a youth event on Saturday in a town near the capital, citing security concerns.
He canceled his appearance in Kayunga, where the kingdom claims land as part of its historical territory, because of the potential for more violence, his spokesman said.
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