UGANDA: Of Museveni's "nationalistic kidnappings"

OF MUSEVENI'S "NATIONALISTIC KIDNAPPINGS"

"When we were fighting in Luweero, in order to draw the attention of the West, which had neglected our cause, I sent Jet Mwebaze to Masuliita-Kiroro road and told him to kidnap a Red Cross European worker. He kidnapped a French doctor who was working for the International Committee of the Red Cross. He brought him to me where I was in Ngoma, nearly 100 miles from Kampala".

Museveni's address to parliament - 30/8/1999.

Uganda is currently grappling with a spate of kidnappings whose motive is not clear. Museveni's 32 years old military regime is not coming out clearly over this development. Instead, it is a common practice for armed regime security functionaries dressed in civilian clothes to gruesomely kidnap political opponents and business rivals for hire. The population is left baffled over how to differentiate the so-called criminal kidnappings from the state inspired kidnappings.

As he stated above, kidnappings and killings characterized his five years Bush War. While public figures like that ICRC aid worker, a one Galla who was the DPC of Masindi, Nathan Kalemanzira who had been the D.C of Luwero, Dr. Bata and his medical team at Nakaseke hospital and a couple of others survived; the low ranking government officials and local UPC functionaries were subjected to kidnappings and gruesome killings.

The reign of Iddi Amin was characterized by kidnappings and disappearances of some prominent people. While many such incidents have been blamed on the Iddi Amin regime, those who had been fighting it have confessed to having been responsible for some actions aimed at undermining and discrediting Amin. The same applies to the Obote II government where some of the top NRA commanders like Gen. Otafiire have publicly admitted that they would dress in UPC party colours to commit atrocities aimed at undermining Obote.

Therefore, Ugandans need to appreciate that some kidnappings are for purposes of promoting patriotism and nationalistic in nature aimed at "drawing the attention of the west". In this regard they should also interrogate the authenticity of some of the so-called terror attacks and threats in the country. They too could be real or stage managed to draw the attention of the west.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM