UGANDA: WAS THE NOVEMBER 18 -19 PROTESTS A FOILED ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW M7 - @KagutaMuseveni @HeBobiWine @MugishaMuntu @Tumukunde_

 

By CHANGE OF GUARDS

WAS THE NOVEMBER 18 -19 PROTESTS  A FOILED ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW M7

Since the 2011 disputed general elections, Uganda's military dictator has been building capacity to counter the potential for an Arab Spring kind of mass uprising.  A mass uprising is what he fears most and for the past few years he has been on the look out  for what would trigger it.  Since, he has brutally crushed several rounds of isolated mass riots and protests.  However what bothers him most is the fact that he has not succeeded in breaking the spirit of Ugandans.  Even when he thinks that he has unleashed enough terror to instill sufficient fear in the population, surprisingly Ugandans come out with much more vigour and courage to express their frustration and anger against his regime  At each re-occurrence, Ugandans come out with more resilience and determination.  The latest was during the November 18 - 19 protest that was prompted by his arrest of two opposition presidential candidates, Hon. Kyagulanyi and Patrick Amuriat of NUP and FDC respectively.  He unleashed his security machinery who carried out a massacre that left 54 shot dead and hundreds suffering bullet wounds.  Once again, he believes that he has unleashed such sufficient terror on the population that they will never rise up again.

    "This will never happen again.  The perpetrators have tested the consequences of playing with fire", he bragged.

Despite the claims by the regime that the protests were premeditated, the fact is that they were not.  It's was just a spontaneous angry reaction that was prompted by the reckless and arrogant driven arrest of their presidential candidates.  However, much earlier he had repeatedly been sounding war drums while looking forward for an opportunity to unleash his terror on the population.  In October, he warned;

    "I hear talk that some people want to cause chaos.  We hear that these stupid people are working with foreigners.  No foreigner will cause chaos here. No one is better than us in fighting.  You will bring death to yourself for no reason."

Later, on October 24 his notorious Minister of Security, Gen. Tumwine ordered the security forces to shoot dead the protesters.  

   "When someone throws a stone at you during protests, shoot him back.  If he dies it's up to him."

Two weeks earlier, his son, Gen. Muhoozi had sent a warning to Hon. Kyagulanyi;

    "I told my young brother , that you can NEVER intimidate us.  We are much strong than you can ever imagine to be.  If you want to fight we will simply defeat you "

Museveni's initial reaction to the November 18 - 19 riots was;

    "They have entered an area of fighting we know well.  Whoever started it will regret.  Some of these groups are being used by outsiders who don't like the stability and independence of Uganda  but will discover what they are looking for."

At a press conference, his Minister of Security admitted that the rioters had superior organization but went ahead to make a blind allegation that they had guns;

    "We are investigating to see if some of the shooting was done by the rioters because they were very organized."

After recovering from the initial shock, and gained composure Museveni admitted that his handlers had feared that the riots would make his regime to fall.

     "The other day when I was in Karamoja, I heard that some groups who have actually been talking about it for many months and how they are going to disturb the country and the elections started.  People were ringing me to in Karamoja that I should stop my meetings but I said no it will be handled."

By implication, Museveni was referring to Dr. Besigye's mysterious Plan B which is generally construed as having the potential for a mass uprising.  The people who were allegedly ringing him must have only been the Army Chief, his wife, the police chief Gen. Muzeyi, CMI Chief Gen. Kqndiho his,  brother Gen. Saleh and his son Gen. Muhoozi who is the In-charge of such Special Operations.  Actually, it was him who was panic-kingly ringing them to issue directives of shooting to kill and to mobilize for counter offensive measures.   However, he is also not being sincere when he claims that they were simply telling him to stop his meetings in Karamoja.  On the contrary they were telling him to return to Kampala to take charge of the situation that was running out of hand yet for him the remote Karamoja was the safest in the circumstances.  It's proximity to Kenya would have been much easier for him to flee in the event the riots had escalated into the overthrow of his government.

After the situation was seemingly contained, his Minister of Security, Gen. Tumwine went on radio chest-stamping how they had decisively defeated the uprising;

    "I really congratulate our security forces for what they have done, restoring peace and order within two days not not an easy thing for a premeditated plan to burn Kampala."

Through his Minister for the Presidency, Ester Mbayo, the regime has claimed that some of the members of the security forces were working with the coup plotters;

    "It is an open secret that some security personnel are fighting this government from within. Unpatriotic security personnel simply looked on.  They have been compromised by the opposition but we are working around the clock to weed out those bad elements because we know them.  We have information that the 'enemies of Uganda' have trained some opposition politicians in politics of malice, intrigue, blackmail and sabotage.........if the government did not have a strong army, last week's riots could have turned the country upside down." 

The Minister's reckless statement suggests that, as is always the case after a failed coup attempt, a major purge within the security set up is imminent.  Her admission of the gravity of the riots confirms that the extent to which the regime cohorts had got worried of the possibility of loosing power.  

After he had gained composure, Museveni addressed the nation; 

   "Some of the political actors, working with anti-Ugandan elements from outside have been promoting impunity and swearing that they will render Uganda ungovernable.  We have been monitoring them through intelligence.  On 18th November, those criminal groups, sponsored by political opportunists and backed by some external elements decided to execute their long-planned scheme "

Once again, he was referring to Dr. Besigye's Plan B and by alleging the for the so-called "anti-Ugandan elements" he meant nothing else other Rwanda and it's President Kagame.

Therefore, for Museveni and company, the November 18 - 19 protests was an attempt to overthrow his regime and it had to be brutally suppressed.  Otherwise, no body organized those protests but it was just  result of a natural reaction to the arrest of  their leader. The regime feared that the long awaited trigger for a mass uprising had finally arrived and it reacted with lethal force.  Just as was the case with the November 2016 massacre in Kasese,  the entire bloody episode fell under the docket of Special Operations which is under the command of his son, Gen. Muhoozi.  However, with intensifying condemnation and calls from different to investigate the killings, he will as usual have to look for scapegoats and most likely use the opportunity to victimize some of his lead political opponents and Buganda Kingdom in particular.  As to whether there will never be a repeat of the same, you guess is as good as mine.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM