By M. Suleman

19^th Sept 2011:

Col Edison Muzoora: Controversial in life and death

The death of Col Muzoora has not only sent shock waves in Uganda, but in the Diaspora too.  In Uganda, there has been a wave arrests following Muzoora’s death.  The hasty and haphazard reaction by the government clearly shows that Museveni is determined to use the late Muzoora’s image to intimidate and weaken the opposition; both at home and in the Diaspora, especially in South Africa and Britain.

The news that Col Muzoora may have been kept by Ugandans in South Africa enraged the government which, until his death, didn’t seem to know Muzoora’s whereabouts.  Security institutions were therefore caught pants down when they learnt that Muzoora had sneaked into the country without their knowledge.

According to a top security official who requested to remain anonymous, the government is “restless” about the growing opposition it is facing from all corners.  “…The ADF, PRA, and Kony rhetoric lost flavour long time ago”, said the security official.  It is therefore not difficult to see that in such circumstances, the government was left with no option but to “cook up” another ghost rebel group and use it as an excuse to clamp down on the growing opposition.

This is not the first time Ugandan opposition activists in the Diaspora have crossed swords with Museveni’s government.  Many Ugandans in the Diaspora rallied behind and actively supported Dr Besigye in the 2001 elections.  That is why South Africa was Besigye’s destination of choice when he was forced out of Uganda after the 2011 elections.

The government tried and failed to legally get Dr Besigye out of South Africa.  Dr. Besigye himself has said on many occasions that when that failed, Museveni’s government tried to assassinate him from South Africa but he was tipped off by “friendly people” in both Museveni’s government and in South Africa who knew about the plot.

While it is a known fact that Museveni’s government has been trying to infiltrate and weaken all opposition formations in the Diaspora, the FDC Chapter in South Africa had, up until recently, been able to contain the government onslaught.  But the mysterious circumstances surrounding Muzoora’s death have now given the government another excuse to infiltrate, intimidate, weaken, and annihilate opposition activists and groups in the Diaspora.

Andrew Mwenda’s dossier that was published in his magazine The Independent indeed suggests that such a plan exists.  It is very clear from reading Mwenda’s “well spiced” dossier that opposition activists in South Africa are being targeted by linking them to shadowy rebel groups that exist only in the minds of those in government who create them.

We can already see that in the Mwenda dossier, normal FDC meetings in South Africa are being referred to as “subversive meetings”.  This is a deliberate ploy to scare ordinary FDC members so that they don’t attend party meetings for fear of being labelled ‘rebels’.  Several FDC members have reported seeing unfamiliar funny looking guys in joints that are frequented by Ugandans in Johannesburg.

In Europe, we also got the shocking news last week that FDC’s International Envoy to the UK and European Union Mr Sam Akaki had unexpectedly collapsed on board a flight to London after attending a political function in Oslo-Norway.  The circumstances of his collapse are still being investigated.

But if poisoning is proved, as initially suspected, then Diaspora opposition activists should prepare for assassination attempts.  Secondly, considering Andrew Mwenda’s very ‘privileged position’ in what other have called “the Museveni dynasty”, his dossier in The Independent cannot be taken lightly.  In fact, it may suggest that the government has declared open war against Diaspora opposition activists.

Responding to the possibility of “open war”, one opposition activist simply said:  “…All of us are mere mortals; including Museveni and his mercenaries”. END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.