By M. Suleman

9^th April 2012: This year’s Easter celebrations, like many in the past 26 years since Museveni came to power, are again being celebrated in agony by the people of Northern Uganda.  This time the Nodding Disease is wrecking havoc. Since NRA swept into Northern Uganda in the bid to take control of the country, there has been catastrophe after catastrophe.

Each of these catastrophes has been difficult to understand. For example, at the height of the insurgence, many people lost their limbs, lips, ears etc.  To date, the people of Northern Uganda have never been told the truth, as regards who was responsible for the crime.

In 2008, Kony vehemently denied that his men were involved in the commission of those atrocities.  Indeed, it is instructive that we have not had such atrocities in the Central African areas where Kony’s LRA is now operating.

Another unforgettable catastrophe was the Feb 2004 Barlonyo massacre. When a BBC Journalist asked Museveni to apologise to the people of Barlonyo for not protecting them, he shocked many when he said his government never even knew that the camp Barlonyo existed.

Which begs the question:  Who committed the Barlonyo massacre of over 200 unarmed civilians?  Who are the people who decided that it was a good idea to herd an entire region in camps?  What were their true aims?  In warfare, this is called a ‘scotched earth policy’.

It was used in the past by armed groups which faced enemies who would get mixed up in the civilian population, they would collect the civilian population in camps, then destroy food, poison water points, poison captured enemies, and release them to go and die with their compatriots.

Could the NRA therefore have carried out ‘scotched earth policy’ in northern Uganda?  What is beyond debate is that at the height of the war, a lot of desperate actions were undertaken by each side to the conflict.

We therefore need more information about the NRA’s covert operations so that we eliminate the possibility that they may have employed a ‘scotched earth policy’ in northern Uganda.  For example, was there any form of chemical warfare?  If so, then what chemicals were used?

It is common knowledge that the side effects of any chemical warfare usually takes a long time to manifest themselves, and are notoriously difficult to treat – exactly like the nodding disease is proving to be.

In short, as dogs continue to collect dead bodies from the bushes, as relatives continue to burry those who burnt themselves to death, or have fatally injured themselves because of this devastating and debilitating nodding disease, the country needs the truth about the war in Northern Uganda.

Just as the people of Luwero still need to know who massacred the UPC leaders and other unarmed civilians who were regularly massacred from their homes. The country needs the truth about these two civil wars to be able to deal with the complicated post war illnesses and trauma that continue to manifest themselves.

We need people like Col Ogole, Kasendwa Ddumba and their counterparts in the NRA and from LRA to tell the truth to the country.  We need people to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness. Until that is done, we shall continue to get unexplainable, untreatable diseases.  We shall continue suffering and crying for justice.

Lastly, I wish to join all those patriotic Ugandans who have dedicated this Easter prayers to the people of northern Uganda.  May Allah [God] give them the strength to deal with their endless trials and tribulations!  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.