Police have confirmed that six leaders of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) including party president Patrick Amuriat were arrested for unlawful assembly, public nuisance and assault.
Amuriat and Members of Parliament; Joan Alobo (Soroti City Woman), Jonathan Ebwalu (Soroti City West), and Julius Ekudo (Akobo County), were arrested on Friday in Soroti while protesting the government’s ‘failure’ to fulfill its promise to compensate livestock lost during past insurgencies.
Mary Goretti Atemo, the FDC aspirant for Kumi Woman MP, and Sam Acaitum were among the arrested.
On Friday evening, police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma confirmed that the arrested persons were being detained at Soroti City East Division police station on three charges.
“Today, March 7, 2025, Police in Soroti have arrested Six leaders of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and charged them with unlawful assembly, public nuisance, and assault,” Kituuma stated.
“The protest began with mobilization at the FDC offices in Akisim cell 2, Akisim ward, and later moved to Soroti main Street, where the group blocked the road and burned tires, causing a traffic jam,” he added.
According to the police mouthpiece, the protest turned violent when the crowd assaulted police officers, prompting a police response to disperse them.
“The arrested persons are currently detained at Soroti City East Division,” Kituuma noted.
Earlier, we reported that the demonstration, which was to include prayers at the Public Gardens in Soroti City, was met with heavy police deployment that blocked the venue.
Security forces were later seen intercepting and arresting the leaders before they could address the crowd.
On Friday, FDC issued a statement, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of its arrested members.
The opposition party had also asked police to disclose their members’ whereabouts.
“If they have committed any offense, they should be presented before the courts of law, not subjected to arbitrary detention.” the party stated.
