Bodies reportedly of victims of military assault–palace seen burning in background
[Africa: Commentary]
As incoming President Donald Trump’s officials survey U.S. foreign policy, priority must be to cut loose Africa’s number one killer today.
Today all eyes are on Uganda where massacres are being committed in broad daylight against the people of Kasese region who dared to vote against dictator Yoweri Museveni in the February elections which he stole.
Kasese is also home to one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms, the Rwenzururu.
This past weekend a bid to divert attention from a worsening political and security situation throughout the country, Gen. Museveni, dictator of 30 years now, ordered an all-out military assault on the Rwenzururu Kingdom, killing dozens of civilians.
Besides arresting the King, Charles Wesley Mumbere and the Queen, the Palace was set on fire, followed by a callous massacre and humiliation of Mumbere’s subjects.
In addition to the killings, reports and photographic evidence from the region show female employees in the palace strip naked and lined up to be inspected by soldiers — this has become common practice by Uganda’s security forces under Gen. Museveni and his police commander, an army general, Kale Kayihura. The women were taken away and their fate –as with King Mumbere’s– remains unknown.
Now that the whole country has rejected him, Museveni has resorted to using extreme violence as a tool for subjugating the Ugandan Populace.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/11/27/possible-massacre-in-kasese-uganda_c1463291
The Independent, UK
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ugandan-police-arrest-king-charles-wesley-mumbere-killed-injured-dead-a7442251.html
Daily Mail, UK
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3975606/Clashes-kill-55-restive-Ugandan-kingdom.html
Ugandans showed their overwhelming distaste for Museveni when they voted Dr. Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change as president in February. Gen. Museveni has refused to yield power and instead, in essence, launched a military coup with the aide of Gen. Kayihura and forcefully grabbed power from the winning candidate Dr. Besigye.
Now he continues punitive attacks on regions that voted against him.
The rest of Africa and the world at large must wake up to these killings. Western countries have given dictator Museveni blanket military and diplomatic support because Ugandan troops help fight al-shabab militia in Somalia. So Museveni’s own terrorism within Uganda are ignored.
Ugandan troops would continue helping their sisters and brothers in Somalia even without dictator Museveni who plays the Somalia card to prolong his dictatorship.
This cynical policy which could create Somalia-like conditions in Uganda must end under the incoming Donald Trump administration. Ugandan troops would continue helping their sisters and brothers in Somalia even without dictator Museveni who has ruled the country since Ronald Reagan was in office.
Dictator Museveni must be forced to yield to the wishes of the electorate and step down in order to stop Uganda’s slide into unimaginable massacres as we witnessed in neighboring Rwanda in 1994.
Dr. Vincent Magombe is Secretary Free Uganda Leadership Committee and Press Secretary
