ugnet_: UGANDANS DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
Chad: President Granted Possible Third Term Mandate May 26, 2004 Ndjamena UN Integrated Regional Information Networks Parliament on Wednesday approved an amendment of the constitution that could allow President Idriss Deby to seek a third term in office amid an opposition boycott. However, the two-thirds approval needed was a formality as the governing Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) have a substantial majority in parliament, with 113 out of the 155 seats, officials said. Tempers flared in the pre-vote debate. "Just leave the room! You only came to disturb the proceedings," Nassour Guelendksia, the MPS president of the national assembly, told opposition representatives who had gathered in parliament for Wednesday's noon vote. Human rights activists said that the ruling party did everything it could to exclude the 31 opposition members from the debate. "The ruling party members did their utmost to prompt the opposition representatives to leave the room. The MPS should not have done that," Dobian Assingar, the President of the Chadian League of Human Rights told IRIN. The government backed parliamentary commission that prepared the debate documents said that a revision of the constitution was necessary. "After eight years of existence, the revision of the constitution is inevitable and indispensable to correct its shortcomings," the report said. The proposed amendment was approved by 123 votes in favour, none against and one abstention. However, for changes to the national consitution to be ratified, a national referendum will have to take place. The Chadian constitution, adopted in 1996, limits the president to two consecutive five-year terms in office. Deby's second term in office comes to an end in 2006. The 17 opposition parties have accused Deby of wanting to install himself in the presidency for life. They called for a national strike and urged people to demonstrate outside the National Assembly building on the day of the vote. Human rights defenders and trade unions have backed the opposition's call. Most shops and businesses remained shut on the streets of the capital Ndjamena and the main market was much quieter than usual. "By shutting my shop, I join my brothers in saying there has to be an end to this dictatorship which has oppressed us for 14 years," Abass Ali, a food seller in the Moursal area of south west of Ndjamena told IRIN. However, government workers were by and large in their offices. "There were not too many absences in the ministry," a woman working in central government said. Security forces were out in force around the National Assembly buildings as the vote took place. No demonstrations were reported. The amendments were proposed by the MPS last November. As well as extending the presidential term, also included are proposals that could suppress the upper house, the Senate, and replace it with a social and economic "Council". President Deby, 52, came to power in a coup d'etat in December 1990. Under pressure from international donors, he introduced multi-party democracy in 1996. Campaigning for re-election in 2001, Deby told a French newspaper in an interview: "I will not stand as a candidate in the 2006 presidential election. I will not change the constitution - even if I have a hundred percent majority". Deby has made no further declaration on the matter since. Earlier this month, Deby said the government had suppressed an army rebellion that had sought to assassinate him. The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
ugnet_: Rosa Whitaker,three;Museveni,one
On The Mark With Alan Tacca Rosa Whitaker, three; Museveni, oneMay 30 - June 5, 2004 So Rosa Whitaker has been at Munyonyo, where African finance ministers have been spending a lot of taxpayers money on the pretext of looking for solutions to Africas trade-related economic problems. (See Orla Ryans report, No end yet to Africas shrinking market share, The Monitor, May 25.) Ugandans should have a special interest in Ms Rosa Whitaker; not only because she was the assistant United States trade representative to Africa when AGOA sounded like a sub-county in heaven, but also because through her company, the Whitaker Group, she was later to be employed by the Uganda government as the countrys AGOA consultant, some kind of USA-based market scout for Ugandan goods, with a thinly veiled role as spinner for Musevenis politics. Americans are generally so ignorant about African affairs that the public relations hype probably attracts little resistance, but the markets must be a tough nut. In this column, March 23, last year, I wrote what was in effect a review of a very simple American-made non-electric shaving tool, the thoughtfully conceived and superbly constructed Gillette Match 3. The article, AGOA propaganda and the goods, sought to highlight the gap between the dream of selling huge quantities of manufactured goods to America and the quality expectations of American consumers. On January 9, 2003, the New Vision had published Whitakers Stand up if you are a patriotic Ugandan, in which she extolled Musevenis commitment to his country and to the continent. For the country, he was fighting Joseph Konys LRA terrorists by literally camping where the guns were blazing. And for the continent, he had heroically almost single-handedly bent the stiffness in the American establishment to get the AGOA act in place, all the other Sub-Saharan African governments following this one man! But if the leaders eye for possible rewards was sharp, the ways of reaching the harvest were largely hidden to him. At the time, Whitaker reported that AGOA had over US$ 9 billion in trade and investments in the sub-Saharan region. She did not say what Ugandas share of that cake was. Regarding the heavily politicised textile sector specifically, very mean analysts give Ugandas net earnings to this day as nil. The most generous puts those earnings at a few tens of million dollars. NRM power brokers and their cohorts in the parastatals made sure that they stripped all the government-owned and government-controlled industries before they were privatised. In some cases, they were first stripped, and then crudely rehabilitated at the prices of thieves, before being sold for a song. Mr. Kashiwada of Phenix Logistics (the former UGIL) that wonderfully modest man who seems incapable of raising his voice beyond the level of gentle conversation has struggled to resurrect a factory that had been completely dead for years. Talking to him a couple of years ago, I got the impression that he had a very clear idea about the difficulties his company and other Ugandan manufacturers had to overcome before setting a firm foothold in the American market. Although everybody in officialdom was singing about the dollars to come from America and they wanted the money now Kashiwada in fact believed that it was very important to get our own people to wear locally made clothes. The quality of those clothes would improve as customers became more critical and factory workers got more experience and acquired better tools. Gradually, the gap between our producers and American consumers would close. First the horse, and then the cart. Kashiwada also noted that some people were not looking beyond the short-term concessions of AGOA. The long-term clauses were pegged to the making of yarn itself and cloth, using local cotton. Then, finally, AGOA might not even be there at all. I have a feeling that people like Kashiwada have quietly done their good work, away from newspaper headlines, and if all the taxpayers money and freebies that have been pumped into Tri-star Apparels had gone to Phenix, Uganda might have had a happier AGOA story to tell. And yet, as I predicted in my March 23/2003 article, Ms Rosa Whitaker is one of the winners. In an environment where Africas share of world trade dropped from 6.3 percent in 1980 to 2.5 percent in 2000, and where Whitaker herself now warns us that the key provisions of the AGOA treaty may not be renewed beyond September 30, the lady has three goals in her bag. First goal: she successfully pushed for AGOA from a quite high profile and definitely well remunerated desk under Bill Clinton. On the scoreboard, President Museveni also has a brilliant goal in the name of the AGOA treaty. So, the score is one-one. Then Whitaker scored again when Uganda gave her that consultancy contract, her former position in the corridors of power being an obvious asset. Considering Ugandas beggarly circumstances,
ugnet_: God understands your mother tongue
Sunday comment: By Fr Wynand Katende God understands your mother tongue May 30 - June 5, 2004 Read Acts of Apostles 2:1-6 How does it happen that each one of us is able to these men speaking in his own native language? I wonder how many languages there are in the world! Uganda alone has over 56 local languages going by the 56 recognized ethnic groups as from 1926 (cf. 1995 Constitution). For purposes of national unity, however, many countries adopt a national or official language, but with no direct intention of downplaying the role and importance of the local ones? In any case, has God an official language as well? Is there anything like a natural language? Are many languages a blessing or a curse in human history? I am engaging myself in this kind of preamble, in order to lead us into serious appreciation of the feats of Pentecost. Man is by nature a social being. He uses the gift of speech as the chief means by which he expresses and carries on his social life. Speech happens to be any sign used to communicate thought. This includes language, gestures or body language, tones of voice under given circumstances. Although it is natural for man to speak, there is no evidence to prove that man has any particular language assigned to him at creation. One also has in mind the different local accounts of creation! So there wouldnt be anything like a natural language. Language is essentially conventional, developed by man in different times and places. Language develops and is liable to death. God gave us the faculty of speech by which we develop language essentially to communicate the truth. Those who apply it to tell lies abuse it. God communicates the truth to us through our different local languages. Pope John Paul IIs ability to speak many different languages has earned him admiration, as he is able to effectively communicate gospel truth uncorrupted by interpretations. On the recent occasion of commissioning deacons at Gaba National Seminary, the rector counseled them to respect the people among whom they would be assigned to serve by learning their different languages, for effective evangelization and general ministry. The missionary activity of the Church has historically proved more effective among those peoples where the word of God was delivered in the local language than in the language of the missionary. The Church regards it as a duty to translate and avail the Holy Scriptures in the peoples different local languages. This is a positive appreciation and extension of the Pentecostal miracle. On Pentecost, the apostles, who were all Jews, were able to communicate to pilgrims from different nationalities, but each one was able to follow the message. Three thousand of them got converted. God, being omnipotent and omniscient, has no need to learn all the languages of the world for effective communication, however, He continues to apply the Pentecostal miracle by enabling us hear him speak one message, but in our different mother tongues. He, likewise, expects us to respond to him through our own different mother tongues, as and when applicable. We all know how difficult it becomes communicating through a foreign language. One tends to lack proper words and gestures to appropriately express ones mind, whereby the message is often left half told. Jesus call to worship God in spirit and truth has a reference to the Pentecostal miracle (John 4:24). Paradoxically it is our ability to harness the power of local languages that we shall progress. One wishes the national constitution were available in local languages, empowering peasants to have an active role in the noble task of nation building. If the Holy Spirit honours peoples respective mother tongues, who are we to despise them? © 2004 The Monitor Publications Chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo! Messenger
ugnet_: A QUOTE OF THE DAY
Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere went into the movement with his DP members, he left the movement alone and left the DP members in the Movement Robert Of Monitor chat forum The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
ugnet_: UGANDA WORST HUMAN CRISIS IN THE WORLD
Unicef envoy in Gulu SHOCKED: Bellamy (centre) visits the night commuters The Executive Director of United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), Carol Bellamy has said, Uganda is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today, reports Fortunate Ahimbisibwe. In a statement issued on Friday, the UNICEF chief expressed shock about the situation in northern Uganda and called on government and the international community to work out means of putting an end to the conflict. I have seen many disturbing images during my time with UNICEF. But few of them are as shocking as the sight of night commuters in northern Uganda whom I saw just two nights ago, she said. As you know, these are the thousands of children and we know that there are at least 44,000 who for fear of abduction by the Lords Resistance Army, seek refuge every night in the towns of the north, she added. Published on: Sunday, 30th May, 2004 The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
ugnet_: Our options in 2006; watch for the fear factor. This That: By Henry Ochieng
Dear Mr Henry Ochieng, You have been consistent in always having something to pick against 'Baganda/Buganda'. Why have you never based your analysis on issues rather than tribal origin? Your missives are thinly disguised hate mongering, as every ethnic group has its share of the narrow-mined. It is dishonest to lump all Baganda into one interest group. Our history is full of tragedies from demonising one ethnic group against others. And you, Henry Ochieng, know this. You are only selfishly advancing the interests of your 'tumbo'. - Fishing in troubled waters, as they say!! Narrow tribal hatred ill-serves the interests of all wananchi. It is a pity to see you so consumed by petty hate. ~~~ Our options in 2006; watch for the fear factor This That: By Henry Ochieng May 29, 2004 The search for credibility should be the oppositions mantra if they truly believe that there can be more than a change of guard not just the suspicious this is not a mere change of guards on which we were fed in January 1986. Retrospection after the March 2001 contested presidential election results reveals that lead challenger, retired army colonel Dr Kizza Besigye imploded. To some, he lost substantial support because at one point the man began to sound intemperate and almost hysterical. Did Col. Besigye run out of control? Before things went off the wheels, there was, and still is, a number of voters who are/were not afraid to try out something new. But these voters are also pretty picky about the available options. So, the moment Dr Besigye began to sound like something out of a doomsday movie, doubts poured in over his suitability for the role of pretender to the throne. Dr Besigyes beginning was near perfect, buoyed by the goodwill that comes being an underdog. He came across as someone who was being persecuted for speaking the truth about a Movement organisation that had been run off the rails by speculators. Things, however, got out of hand when the talk of national revival was replaced by a loud, vindictive-sounding message. It appeared that between him and the Presidency was a personal war of vengeance against incumbent Yoweri Museveni. His sympathisers, many of whom form part of todays neoopposition, worried that the conciliatory tone that would have appealed to the moderates and fence-sitters was lost in the howls of retribution (someone in the Reform Agenda clearly took the symbolism of the hammer too literally). They were afraid that immediately Museveni was ushered out of State House a countrywide dragnet for former regime enthusiasts would get underway. For them, an inquisition had only one insinuation for mother Uganda that was trying to walk away from a past where political opponents were bludgeoned into non-existence. Remember post-1971? Having deposed Dr Milton Obote, the deceased buffoon Idi Amin started seeing enemies in every dark alley. To deal with the apparitions, the dictator let his army of tribes-men loose on the nation in an orgy of killing that brought a swift and painful end to the lives of mostly Luo speaking Ugandans. When the Tanzanian army backed Ugandan exiles in 1979 and rid us of that lunacy, there are credible reports that liberator troops commanded by Luo speaking officers committed some of the worst crimes against humanity in the sub-region from which Amin hailed. Although, we cannot say for certain that the cerebral Dr Besigye would be a party to actual extra-judicial elimination of former regime elements, it was enough that he had them running scared. They were scared because either by commission or association a large number of the nouveau riche in post 1986 Uganda were accomplices in the crimes the colonel was implicating the Museveni Presidency in. It did not help when he began to obliquely associate himself with an alleged section of the army that was waiting in the wings to eject Museveni if he insisted on hanging around. This talk militarised the argument so much so that many politicians in Kampala feared that the country was being set up for faction-driven anarchy. Today, what goes for the opposition has again flirted with something they say is disenchantment with Museveni within the armed forces. Not only is this an ill-advised recourse that rears the ugly head of a weaponised election campaign, it also narrows down the conversation to just army matters. The other point is that again it drowns out the issues by focusing the conversation on the individual. Look around and you will make the fascinating discovery that 60% of the people who constitute todays active opposition are former insiders. As such they are sitting ducks for regime marksmen who have since happily lumped them together as a bunch of disgruntled opportunists. The best riposte in the circumstances appears to lie in reverting to the original Besigye plan: counter attack on
ugnet_: THE ANARCH OF MORTHERN UGANDA CONTINUES
Children flee their homes to escape abduction © UNICEF/HQ04-0256/Furrer Families seek safety in towns before night falls and attacks begin GULU, Uganda, 27 May 2004 Every evening at sunset families hurry along the road to Gulu in northern Uganda, desperate to reach the town before darkness falls. They are among the tens of thousands of people who abandon their homes at night to escape attack from rebel forces and to save their children from being abducted by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). It is estimated that 12,000 children have been abducted since 2002. They are forced to fight for the LRA, made to work or used for sex. Up to three thousand more have become separated from their families while fleeing to safety. This week UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy has being drawing attention to the plight of these children and the 1.6 million people displaced by the 18-year-old civil war. The Government of Uganda has a responsibility to protect these children, and the rest of the world must play its part. So far the global communitys response has been woefully inadequate, she said. Governments to date have pledged just 20% of this year's UN appeal for $127 million in humanitarian aid for the region. Each night the town of Gulu offers shelter to 14,000 children seeking safety from the rebels. UNICEF is providing tents, blankets and sanitation facilities and is working with local organizations to alleviate the suffering. Ms. Bellamy also visited a reception centre for children who have been released or have escaped from the LRA. Many of the girls have given birth to babies conceived when they were forced to have sex with army commanders. UNICEF is working with the Gulu Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO) to provide food, clothing, health care, counselling and basic education. Ms. Bellamy has called for the immediate release of all children from armed groups. While in Gulu she met with the commander of the 4th Division of the Ugandan Peoples Defence Forces, who confirmed Ugandas commitment to ending recruitment under the age of 18. In the south of the country Ms. Bellamy visited UNICEF-supported community programmes for promoting education and preventing HIV/AIDS. She praised Ugandas progress in achieving universal primary education and its response to the AIDS pandemic. The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
ugnet_: I support abortion,says Njonjo
NEWS I support abortion, says Njonjo Story by NATION Team Publication Date: 05/31/2004 Njonjo Even as religious leaders described abortion as "a great evi'l' and "a big shame", a former Attorney-General said the practice should be legalised. Mr Charles Njonjo, a former AG and Constitutional Affairs minister, said he supported abortion, capital punishment and the rights of homosexuals. "I am pro-abortion," declared Mr Njonjo, a prominent member of the Anglican Church of Kenya. His sentiments are likely to ruffle many feathers in the wake of the ongoing debate on abortion sparked by the discovery of 15 aborted babies, whose remains were dumped near a river in a Nairobi suburb last week. "When I was the Attorney-General, I would never prosecute those who carried out abortion or those who went for it. I equally would never waste time persecuting gays. I respect their rights. Why go after them and that is their right?" Mr Njonjo asked. But even as he made his bold stand public, the head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, described abortion as "a great evil". "Life is sacred. We should not interfere with what is in the womb, said the Archbishop after leading a Sunday service at All Saints' Cathedral, Nairobi. He described last week's incident as "a big shame". His sentiments were echoed by religious leaders in different parts of the country, who urged the Government to crack down on all clinics where abortions are performed. The clerics also urged MPs to rally behind the churchs call to oppose any attempts to legalise abortion. Preaching at Mass in Nairobi, the Fr Emmanuel Ngugi in-Charge of Nairobis Holy Family Basilica, said: "The church is against abortion because it destroys and has no respect for the sanctity of human life," he said. "Imagine your mother decided to abort you; where would you be? Would we have somebody like you? This is why we should all rally behind the Church and anybody else opposed to abortion," Fr Ngugi said. He added that the church would never compromise on the legalisation of abortion. And Bishop Julius Kalu of Mombasa ACK Diocese said: "No one should get pregnant and then decide on abortion by claiming that they do not have resources to bring up the child." Describing abortion as criminal, the cleric said: "Life starts at conception and once you are pregnant, you must know that you are carrying Gods creature, not your own." While defending the unborn baby's right to life, Bishop Kalu appealed to Kenyans not to procure abortions. Speaking to the Nation after delivering a sermon in Mombasa, Bishop Kalu said abortion amounted to murder. He urged politicians to speak openly against the vice. He said the discovering of 15 aborted babies in Nairobi last week was an embarrassment to Kenyans and an indication how some people were drifting away from God. Bishop Kalu also urged the Government to get to the bottom of the saga and reveal the people behind the criminal act. He said those responsible must be punished according to the law. And in Eldoret, Bishop Cornelius Korir and Eldoret North MP, Mr William Ruto called for stern action to be taken against those who dumped the babies. The draft constitution outlaws abortion, Mr Ruto said, adding that he supported laws regarding abortion as they are in the draft constitution. Abortion remains illegal and will be illegal, he said. Bishop Korir challenged the Government to start investigating non governmental organisations offering health services. He said that Kenya had a low population and should be encouraged to grow and be like countries like Britain which have between 50 and 60 million people. "The killing of unborn children amounted to murder and should be treated as such," he said. Njonjo's support for abortion is likely to create more heat on the contentious debate and put him on a collision course with the church, Mr Njonjo defended the right of women to determine their reproductive health. Saying he wondered why the society never asked itself why women went for abortion, he said the men behind the pregnancies should also be condemned. Chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo! Messenger
ugnet_: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Ready for a Recall Vote
Ready for a Recall Vote By Hugo Chavez Washington Post Wednesday 26 May 2004 Caracas, Venezuela - For the first 24 hours of the coup d'etat that briefly overthrew my government on April 11, 2002, I expected to be executed at any moment. The coup leaders told Venezuela and the world that I hadn't been overthrown but rather had resigned. I expected that my captors would soon shoot me in the head and call it a suicide. Instead, something extraordinary happened. The truth about the coup got out, and millions of Venezuelans took to the streets. Their protests emboldened the pro-democracy forces in the military to put down the brief dictatorship, led by Venezuelan business leader Pedro Carmona. The truth saved my life, and with it Venezuela's democracy. This near-death experience changed me. I wish I could say it changed my country. The political divisions in Venezuela didn't start with my election in 1998. My country has been socially and economically divided throughout its history. Venezuela is one of the largest oil exporting countries in the world - the fourth-largest supplier to the United States - and yet the majority of Venezuelans remain mired in poverty. What has enraged my opponents, most of whom are from the upper classes, is not Venezuela's persistent misery and inequality but rather my efforts to dedicate a portion of our oil wealth to improving the lives of the poor. In the past six years we have doubled spending on health care and tripled the education budget. Infant mortality has fallen; life expectancy and literacy have increased. Having failed to force me from office through the 2002 coup, my opponents shut down the government oil company last year. Now they are trying to collect enough signatures to force a recall referendum on my presidency. Venezuela's constitution - redrafted and approved by a majority of voters in 1999 - is the only constitution in the Western Hemisphere that allows for a president to be recalled. Venezuela's National Electoral Council - a body as independent as the Federal Election Commission in the United States - found that more than 375,000 recall petition signatures were faked and that an additional 800,000 had similar handwriting. Having been elected president twice by large majorities in less than six years, I find it more than a little ironic to be accused of behaving undemocratically by many of the same people who were involved in the illegal overthrow of my government. The National Electoral Council has invited representatives of the Organization of American States and the Carter Center to observe a signature verification process that will be conducted during the last four days of this month. That process will determine whether the opposition has gathered enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election, which would be held this August. To be frank, I hope that my opponents have gathered enough signatures to trigger a referendum, because I relish the opportunity to once again win the people's mandate. But it is not up to me. To underscore my commitment to the rule of law, my supporters and I have publicly and repeatedly pledged to abide by the results of that transparent process, whatever they may be. My political opponents have not made a similar commitment; some have even said they will accept only a ruling in favor of a recall vote. The Bush administration was alone in the world when it endorsed the overthrow of my government in 2002. It is my hope that this time the Bush administration will respect our republican democracy. We are counting on the international community - and all Venezuelans - to make a clear and firm commitment to respect and support the outcome of the signature verification process, no matter the result. This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
ugnet_: War Making us poor, says Museveni!!! NO kidding
This fellow really never ceases to amaze me. He is the very chup promoting wars from Northern Uganda, to Eastern Uganda, to DRc Congo, to Rwanda, to Sudanand now Museveni turns around, in a sense of profound duplicity, and claims that wars are making us poor. He mister president, must we remind you that you created the quote stupid war in Northern Uganda...morestill, you saw it fit to continue fighting the stupid war. Many have called upon your Military dictatorship to resolve this conflcit in Northern Uganda through dialougue..and did you even pay attention to such calls ...No. You are the strong man who believe in Kurring people..in shooting, bombing using herricopter Gunships. Surely you dictatorship is entirely responsible for the hopless situation the people of Northern and Eastern Uganda currently find themsleves in. MK War making us poor, says Museveni By Badru D. Mulumba May 31, 2004 SHANGHAI If you live below the poverty line, partly blame the rebellion in the north. President Yoweri Museveni (right), said this while addressing more than 600 participants to the first ever global conference on scaling up poverty reduction in China's largest port city last week, He blamed Uganda's poverty level partly on the 18-year-old conflict. It has displaced an estimated 1.5 million people. If it wasn't for some stupid conflict which we have been having in the northern part of the country, we would have reduced poverty even further, Museveni said, after noting that 38 percent of the population, down from 56 percent in 1992, lives below the poverty line. The World Bank defines the poverty line as living on under a dollar a day. Musevenis remarks came ahead of the final draft of the Shanghai Agenda on reducing poverty that notes that security was key for Ugandas poverty reduction. Poverty in Uganda first fell to 35 percent in 1999. Last year, it rose to 38 percent. This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
ugnet_: Dismantle protected camps
Dismantle protected camps It is still argued that the government moved people into 'protected' camps to protect them from Kony and his brutal men. Not anymore! At least the endless massacres in the camps make me think so. People in Acholi area were herded into camps so that the LRA are denied a recruitment base. They were not allowed to cultivate the land so that the rebels have nothing to eat. It was a temporary measure intended to permit crushing the rebels back in 1996. Unfortunately, eight years on, the rebels are just going strong and the camps have become death traps. The so-called protected camp strategy has miserably failed! It is only logical that the people are sent back home and an attempt made at another approach to ending the war - dialogue. Instead of blaming all the banditry on the LRA and blocking the way for dialogue, we should accept that there are some saboteurs who may not necessarily be LRA rebels. It cannot be ruled out that many of the advocates of militarism have links with the saboteurs. Such people will eventually be exposed when a peace agreement is signed. They need to be ignored at the moment. It was childish to reject a unilateral ceasefire offer by the LRA just because it was soon followed by some killings and ambushes. Events in Iraq have forced the Americans and British to redraw their plan for that country. Why can't the government of Uganda do the same for northern Uganda, having consistently failed to end the war even with huge military spending? It is clear that Kony is a mad man using brainwashed children to commit atrocities. Insisting on the already failed military approach may be considered an act of genocide. Clement Lalobo Jinja This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
ugnet_: Dismantle protected camps
Dismantle protected camps It is still argued that the government moved people into 'protected' camps to protect them from Kony and his brutal men. Not anymore! At least the endless massacres in the camps make me think so. People in Acholi area were herded into camps so that the LRA are denied a recruitment base. They were not allowed to cultivate the land so that the rebels have nothing to eat. It was a temporary measure intended to permit crushing the rebels back in 1996. Unfortunately, eight years on, the rebels are just going strong and the camps have become death traps. The so-called protected camp strategy has miserably failed! It is only logical that the people are sent back home and an attempt made at another approach to ending the war - dialogue. Instead of blaming all the banditry on the LRA and blocking the way for dialogue, we should accept that there are some saboteurs who may not necessarily be LRA rebels. It cannot be ruled out that many of the advocates of militarism have links with the saboteurs. Such people will eventually be exposed when a peace agreement is signed. They need to be ignored at the moment. It was childish to reject a unilateral ceasefire offer by the LRA just because it was soon followed by some killings and ambushes. Events in Iraq have forced the Americans and British to redraw their plan for that country. Why can't the government of Uganda do the same for northern Uganda, having consistently failed to end the war even with huge military spending? It is clear that Kony is a mad man using brainwashed children to commit atrocities. Insisting on the already failed military approach may be considered an act of genocide. Clement Lalobo Jinja This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
ugnet_: Has the U.N. Got its Answer in Congo?
Has the U.N. Got its Answer in Congo? Printed on Sunday, May 30, 2004 @ 11:18:09 CDT ( ) Report by Paul Harris, YellowTimes.orgNewsFromtheFront.org TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- In a story filed only hours ago, it was reported that the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Background Report) had fired on Congolese troops. Further, a warning was issued to the Congolese that they would be forcibly disarmed if they did not cease activities deemed by the U.N. forces to be provocative. It may be that the U.N. already has its answer: a U.N. military observer has been shot dead and another is missing from a small U.N. camp located about 40 kilometres north of Bukavu, located in the eastern section of DRC near the border with Rwanda. U.N. officials are claiming that the circumstances are not yet clear and they do not know the location of the missing observer. Although not spoken, it is presumed this attack was retaliation for the rocket launch.This all follows several days of unrest which led to yesterday's rocket firing. About 2,000 local residents have already decided they are not safe and have fled across the border into the relative security of Rwanda. The clashes have been between two groups of the DRC army; one group was previously part of the national armed forces before and during the DRC civil war, the other is the remnant of one of the rebel groups who fought against those regular troops. They, and several other rebel armies, had formed together with the national armed forces to become the new DRC army under a brokered deal which is designed to bring peace and stability to this nation. Some observers are saying the frayed tempers between the two units is merely growing pains that derive from trying to amalgamate a formal army with less disciplined rebel soldiers. There may be merit to that but it is worth noting that most of the various rebel units are compromised of distinct and separate ethnic groups. YellowTimes.org correspondent Paul Harris drafted this report.The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas
