Roundup: Gunmen attack northern Uganda town as military arrest scores

Gunmen on Sunday night attacked a police station in the northern Ugandan district of Gulu in a bid to rescue their colleague who was due to appear in court over an attack on a military installation.

The police and the military in a joint operation foiled the attack although the causality figures are not yet known since the incident occurred, according to Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson.

In the shootout, according to Enanga, who was speaking to a local television station, a policeman and a military officer were injured.

Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, the military spokesman, said three of the attackers surrendered and five riffles were recovered plus one machine gun. Three vehicles and three motor cycles were abandoned by the attackers as they fled.

Gulu is a major town in northern Uganda, and the region has been facing over two decades of insurgency by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army.

Earlier during the attack, there were unconfirmed local media reports that the shootout that lasted close to thirty minutes was about a mutiny of soldiers protesting the arrest of their commanders. Police dismissed the allegation.

This is not the first incident happening in the east African country in the last six months.

In March, an army deserter in the eastern Ugandan district of Kapchorwa led a group that grabbed guns from the Uganda Wildlife Authority Officers at Teryet Parish.

The group later attacked Kapchorwa Central Police Station in a bid to rescue their colleague who had been arrested. In the shootout with the police, it left two police officers and one of the attackers dead.

The group, which was hiding in the ranges of Mount Elgon, later gave up their rebel activities after President Yoweri Museveni threatened to attack them in the bush and leave them dead.

All these incidents are occurring as the country is going through the formation of a new government after the highly contested Feb. 18 general elections in which Museveni was announced leader.

Since then, the government has deployed heavy security in the capital Kampala, arguing that the opposition was planning to burn up the city and cause chaos.

Kizza Besigye, who was the main challenger to Museveni in the polls, was on May 18 charged with treason after a video in which he swore in as the country's president went viral.

This is the second time Besigye is charged with treason, a capital offense which is only punishable by death in Uganda. The first trial in 2005 was dropped.

Some of Besigye's supporters and a group of soldiers are the latest suspects who the police allege are involved in subversive activities to topple government.

Among those arrested is an opposition legislator, Michael Kabaziguruka.

"We got intelligence information that some of these people were planning to carry out attempted assassinations of key government officials and subversive activities," Polly Namaye, deputy police spokesperson told Xinhua on Sunday.

She said as police continue to search for other suspects, they already have some under their custody.

"It's too early to give the exact number and names of those arrested in this sensitive case. We are going to carry more arrest. We can't tolerate any activities intended to undermine and overthrow of the government," she said.

Some local media have put the number to over 30 people arrested, and among them, include military officers and civilians.

Namaye said the suspects will be tried in the military court and public courts over several cases. Endit