Museveni & Co now ‘new breed’ of African butchers
By Sam Akaki
13th June 2011: Dear Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as you start your tour of Africa that will take you to Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia, please reflect on the timeless statement made by your husband Bill Clinton describing General Yoweri Museveni as a leader of “African renaissance”.
Sadly, Museveni has now become a leading member of the “new breed” of African butchers who have collectively killed or were at least partly responsible for the death of up to 2.5 million Africans. For the evidence, check the UN Secretary-General’s letter to the Security Council dated 15th October 2002 regarding the “Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo”.
For the most part, I shall do no more than give you verbatim quotes from the report. Paragraph 96 thereof about the areas controlled by Uganda, the Secretary General told the Security Council that, “…the most commonly quoted conclusion from the International Rescue Committee’s surveys is that 2.5 million more people died since the beginning of the war than would have died had the war not occurred.”
In paragraph 98, the Secretary General also revealed that the elite network operating out of Uganda is decentralized, loosely hierarchical, and “…consists of a core group of members including certain high-ranking UPDF officers, private businessmen, and selected rebel leaders/administrators”. General Salim Saleh and Major General James Kazini were the key figures. Others included then Colonels Noble Mayombo, Kahinda Otafiire, and Peter Karim. The private entrepreneurs included Sam Engola, Jacob Manu Soba, and Mannase Savo.
The rebel “politicians” and administrators named were Professor Wamba dia Wamba, Roger Lumbala, John Tibasima, Mbusa Nyamwisi and Tomas Lubanga.
Please note that both Professor Wamba dia Wamba and Tomas Lubanga, the two Congolese warlords who were allegedly financed and armed by General Museveni, are now facing war crimes trials at the ICC in The Hague!
Paragraph 101 said, “…the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and their associated rebel militias have been used as the de facto enforcement arm of the network, ensuring the network’s pre-eminent commercial position through intimidation, and the threat and use of force. UPDF or militias associated with individual UPDF officers have established physical control over areas containing commercially viable natural resources — coltan, diamonds, timber and gold”.
Paragraph 102 said, “…in anticipation of the official withdrawal from the DRC, “a paramilitary force is being trained under the personal authority of Lt. General Saleh which, according to the Panel’s sources, is expected to continue to facilitate the commercial activities of UPDF officers after UPDF have departed. This military group draws on dissidents from Jean-Pierre Bemba’s MLC, members of the Uganda-supported RCD-Congo including its leaders Professor Kin-kiey Mulumba and Kabanga Babadi.”
Paragraph 104 stated that, “…members of the Ugandan network are typically tax exempt. The Panel is in possession of documents showing that the network uses its control over the RCD-K/ML rebel administration to request tax exonerations for imports of high-value commodities. The granting of numerous tax exonerations to UPDF Colonel Otafiire between late 2001 and early 2002 is one of numerous cases. Not only did Colonel Otafiire benefit financially but, eventually, those exonerations forced local competitors out of markets in Bunia and Beni, leaving the petrol trade largely under the control of the network.”
Armed conflict and its consequences
Paragraph 124, said, “…UPDF military operations have contributed to the arming of large numbers. UPDF have trained the militia of their Ituri commercial allies, the Hema, and provoked the need for the victims of Hema attacks to defend themselves. Lendu villages have mounted their own local forces, and they in turn have frequently attacked Hema villages. The creation of local selfdefence groups is a familiar pattern: local ethnic groups frequently assemble armed groups to defend their villages or collectivities.”
Paragraph 125 said, thanks to the UPDF, “…armed conflict has spread throughout society, as economic and personal insecurity reach extreme levels. Large numbers of young men join one or another armed group because they have no other means of finding food or medicine or because they have no one to care for them.”
Based on this report, on 19th December 2005, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) spoke volumes about the extent of the atrocities committed by Uganda in the DRC. The ICJ ruled that Uganda was responsible for the illegal invasion and occupation of the DRC; training and arming various rebels groups; committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and illegally exploiting natural resources. Uganda was accordingly ordered to pay between $6-10 billion in compensation to the DRC. [See: http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/116/10455.pdf]
UN Human Rights report and future trial
As future generations of Ugandans wait to pay between $6-10 billion in compensation for Museveni’s crimes, one hopes that one day, the recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, will also become the basis for trying General Museveni before an international tribunal. The blunt statement issued on 1st May 2001, said in part:
“…The manner of Dr. Besigye’s arrest on Thursday was shocking. The excessive use of force by security officers was plain to see in the television footage of the event. Uganda’s police force and the People’s Defence Force have indiscriminately used live bullets, rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray against demonstrators since the so-called ‘Walk to Work’ protests began on 11 April, and even sometimes against individuals not involved in the protests.”
In conclusion, the UN human rights chief said: “…More than 250 others, including many children and pregnant women, have been hospitalized because of tear gas inhalation or injuries caused by live ammunition, rubber bullets or severe beatings.”
Madam Clinton, even the loss of one life is one too many. It is therefore remarkable that the current US administration has entrusted the task of hunting down and eliminating Al Shabaab terrorists to Gen. Museveni, a man who, unlike Al Shabaab, is accused of having a hand in the death of nearly 2.5 million people. Doesn’t this double standard explain why President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was reported [by The Telegraph newspaper in the UK] to have “…developed a deep contempt for the international community and its claims to moral authority“?
Secretary of State, enjoy your trip and I look forward to hearing from you. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
