5^th-11^th July 2010

By Our Staff Writer

Ogole & Besigye in Ldn

Last week, Uganda Correspondent ran the first of part of Col. John Ogole’s “Luwero Specific” interview in which he talked at some length about what he thinks has been Museveni’s concerted propaganda campaign against him.  The responses to that story have been very interesting.  Reacting to that interview, one Uganda Correspondent reader said, “…this is a sign that even what has been wrapped up in propaganda, buried and forgotten, when unwrapped can still shed light on what really happened. I think Col Ogole kept quiet for so long, let’s hear from him as well”. Another reader added that,“…the real butchers of Luwero are the people who mercilessly Left the skull of their victims lying on display like tomatoes on sale by the road side. That was disgusting and unforgivable. Let’s believe they were innocent people, why were their remains degraded and used for propaganda purpose?  Only the butcher displays the meat for sale”.Many more reactions to that story were deemed inappropriate for publication in Uganda Correspondent for their vulgarity.  This week, Uganda Correspondent brings you the concluding part of Col. John Ogole’s “Luwero Specific” interview.  In this part, Ogole talks about how he struggled and successfully fought off Museveni’s attempts to extradite him back to Uganda [from Tanzania] to face trial in what he calls Museveni’s “Kangaroo courts”.

When asked what he thought about the strength of the NRA guerrillas that he was fighting in Luwero, Ogole says “…the NRA were a bunch of misguided rag-tag bandits who had been misled by a psychotic man who did not value human life” before going on to call into serious question Museveni’s military credentials.

Never mind the fact that Museveni is now actually in power in Uganda, Ogole believes that Museveni never defeated the UNLA fairly and squarely.  In his view, Museveni only took advantage of structural weaknesses within Tito Okello’s short lived military regime.  He also believes that most people got killed in the Luwero Triangle because Museveni’s NRA rebels wanted their land for training and other very sinister reasons.

When he was deployed to Luwero, Ogole says, “…all that stopped and within six months Museveni was uprooted from his stronghold; running like a wild deer through the savannah of Luwero, Mubende, Kabamba, across to Zaire and finally to Sweden”

His tough talk and image as a hard uncompromising military commander notwithstanding, deep down, it appears Ogole has a soft spot for peaceful negotiations and perhaps even a final reconciliation with his number one adversary Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.  Just like he met, shook hands with, and reconciled with Dr. Kizza Besigye who fought Ogole’s UNLA soldiers alongside Museveni, Ogole says, “…who knows, we might meet and either fight or shake hands some day.  I would prefer to shake hands but I leave all that to God”.

Read this week’s “Luwero specific” interview [Final Part of Ogole’s “Luwero” interview] in the “National” drop down link/section.  Next week, we will publish another part of this exclusive interview series in which Ogole talks about UPC President Dr. Olara Otunnu’s call for a fresh probe into the Luwero Triangle atrocities. Don’t miss out!

editor@ugandacorrespondent.com