Uganda's main opposition coalition has accused the government of recruiting a militia to intimidate voters ahead of February's elections.
The four-party group, known as the Inter-Party Cooperation, says police are training some 29,000 youths under the guise of “village crime fighters”.
A police spokesman, Vincent Ssekate, says police have only recruited “crime preventers” who will be present in every community.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni faces opposition leader Kizza Besigye in the February 18 election.
Mr. Besigye lost both the 2001 and 2006 elections to Mr. Museveni. On both occasions, he and his supporters accused the president of fraud.
Mr. Museveni has led Uganda since his rebel group seized power in 1986. He has won three elections since the advent of multi-party polls in 1995. Five years ago, parliament removed presidential term limits, enabling him to run for office indefinitely.
Mr. Museveni was once hailed for stabilizing Uganda, liberalizing the economy and tackling the AIDS epidemic. But critics say he has become autocratic over the years.
During the 2006 elections, the state accused Mr. Besigye of plotting to overthrow the government and charged him with treason and rape. He was cleared of the rape charge in 2006, and Uganda's constitutional court dismissed the treason charge earlier this month. VOANews
