By Timothy Nsubuga

18^th Oct 2010

Lt. Col. Muhoozi, centre with his parents

Fresh evidence has emerged which suggests that the UPDF may indeed have plundered and killed innocent civilians in Karamoja.

The UPDF’s Special Forces under the command of President Museveni’s son Lt. Col. Muhoozi Keinerugaba were deployed in Karamoja region to conduct a disarmament exercise among the Karimojong cattle rustlers.

Uganda Correspondent has however seen complaint letters from an LC official in Moroto addressed to both President Museveni and the Human Rights office in Moroto.  In both letters, the LC official accused the UPDF of widespread looting and killing several Karimojong civilians.

In the letter dated 16^th April and bearing the stamp of the “LC1 Chairperson, Katikekile Village, Loyaraboth Parish” to the Human Rights office in Moroto, the author opens his complaint by saying, “…we as the community of Katikekile Sub-County in Kosim village have lost our lives and properties to the UPDF of Katikekile detachment”.

The letter also points out that on 30^th March 2010, “unknown enemies” came from Loputuk side and raided over 75 goats of Loili Lokwarionga in Kosiroi at 11:00pm and the UPDF only arrived at 5am in the morning of 31^st March 2010.  That instead of rescuing on the situation, the UPDF “…went as far as looting and arresting the area residents”.

What follows in the letter is an itemised list of the things that the UPDF allegedly looted.  From soap, bed sheets, cooking oil, mobile phones, and money from as little as 110,000 to 1,482,500 shillings; the UPDF loot is said to have continued.

The letter also says on 14^th April 2010, Lomiyat Eliya Councillor IV went to the UPDF detach to visit the arrested people.  There, the letter says, “…he found that the Councillor III Lopoya Kitetei was tortured to madness because he couldn’t talk as normal…he was totally confused in thinking and couldn’t even stand”.

On 15^th April, the letter says, news finally “…came from the soldiers that your Councillor III Lopoya Kitetei had died” and they were then asked by the UPDF to go and collect the body.  Another suspect called Apaloribo Lorumu had not been seen by the other arrested suspects and was feared dead.

According to the letter, another UPDF attack came the following day on 16^th of April 2010 at a place called Kosiroi centre.  There, the letter says, the UPDF looted a total of 182 cows and 62 goats.

In the May 15^th letter of complaint addressed to President Museveni, the LC1 official repeats the same allegations that are highlighted in the letter to the Human Rights office in Moroto.

While the letter to the President expresses some satisfaction with the disarmament exercise, it also points out that “…the only bad thing that the UPDF has done during the operations is the impounding of animals especially cows…we do not receive the right number in the end”.

Some of the cows, the letter alleges, are “…even sold to the traders…sometimes even our people end up in sells and even die there like one of my councillor in the name of Lopoya Kitetei Loritakany who lost his life in the UPDF detach Katikekile.  He was tortured to madness till he was about to die then he was shot by a soldier under 13^th Battalion.  This is not good”, the letter reads in part.

Your Excellency, the letter continues, “…I have not registered some of the people who died during the disarmament exercise but we lost a number of them for example in Kosiroi, Apila daughter of Loperole, and Lotee son of Lokwaita, disappeared.  Two old women in the names of Lorigi and Moru [were also] killed during the exercise and others injured to mention but a few”.

In total, the letter says, other than the human casualties, up to 731 heads of cattle, 3,122,500 Uganda Shillings, and Kenya Shillings 7,400 was stolen by the UPDF from the mining area in Kosiroi during the cordon and search operation.

At the time the story of alleged UPDF atrocities in Karamoja first broke, UPDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Kulaigye dismissed the allegations and said Karimojong MP Kiyonga, who was the principle whistleblower, “…was a liar and rustler’s sympathiser who was once a rustler himself”.

Uganda Human Rights Commission investigators however insist that there was evidence to suggest that the UPDF may indeed violated human rights in the Karamoja region.  END.  If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent.  Never miss out again!