Gook ----Original Message Follows---- <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fw: Where is Uganda Going ? Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 00:08:57 +0100 ----- Original Message ----- From: "R.Astles" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "j730oita" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 9:38 PM Subject: Where is Uganda Going ? > Living History (863) > > > We hear so often from Africans who have been driven from their > birthplace as refugees, mostly brave men and women who have endeavoured to > make the most of hard fought for independence and have battled against > corruption and military dictatorship, that the West and America close their > eyes to the horrors and human rights abuses that go on within the 'black' > spots of the continent so long as they can do business with the corrupt > regimes. Most of these unfortunate Africans have been a tremendous loss to > their countries; scientists, surgeons, lawyers, architects, people of > almost any profession you care to name, have gone and their children have > never seen Africa and are themselves stepping onto the career ladders of > their parents' adopted country and the likelihood of their returning to > serve mother Africa is remote. The politics may have changed slightly for > the better and there is talk of real democracy, but the economic situation > in many cases is dire with little chance of recovery so there is little > incentive for the children of those first refugees to return and make a > contribution to the birth pace of their fathers and mothers which most want > to do. They are influenced by the national media of the countries in which > they are now domiciled and the ghastly stories, usually true, of poor and > at times murderous leadership on that continent. > I have often been asked why these unfortunate exiles from their > beloved countries do no express themselves more openly and let the world > know why they had to seek refuge. The fact is that they do but few > influential people have been sufficiently interested in Africa to pay much > attention to its problems. For years their voices have fallen on stony > ground but recently I have noted that the well known Michael Rahman from > Guyana, a longtime member of the British Labour Party, has ceased his > public support for the 'New Labour' government in disgust and has stated: > "It is a disgrace the way the Labour movement under Tony Blair has > conducted its foreign policy, especially in Africa, leading to poverty, > suffering and millions of refugees." He has also made some caustic remarks > about Uganda, accusing the leadership of creating a neo-colonial state > which is a point the American administration are accepting as being true, > no doubt because they have great influence over its leadership, especially > during the time of Madeline Albright. The tragedy has been not so much its > neo-colonial status but that the war instigated by its president without > parliament approval against the Congo, using tens of thousands of Uganda > troops, has caused a semi collapse of the economy. At the same time, whilst > fighting a war in a neighbouring country, war within the country of Uganda > now seems endemic with considerable loss of liberty and human rights > amongst its people, especially in the North > It was some years ago in these posts that I wrote: "Washington with > the approval of the Uganda government has been allowed to make its own > investigation into the problems of the disturbed area in the north of the > country." This initiative taken by the United States Embassy and the United > States Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Kampala was > to commission a field based assessment of the civil conflicts that have > plagued Northern Uganda since 1986, to include addressing: > (a) The causes, progress and prognosis of the conflicts. > (b) Population displacement dimensions. > (c) Attitudes of the affected civil population to the antagonistic forces. > (d) The human rights conduct of the opposing parties. > (e) The prospect for the conflict expanding to other areas. > (f) Measures which the United States Government and others could take to > mitigate or resolve the conflicts, minimise human suffering and stimulate > economic activation and reconstruction of the affected areas." > I certainly never saw the findings and I wonder whether any other > interested party in Africa saw them, but I do remember at the time that it > was to cause a considerable number of meetings amongst the Uganda exiles in > the European cities who saw a glimmer of hope with this American initiative > on President Museveni, for at the time between 1986 and 1992 more than > 100,000 northerners, especially the Acholi, had been forcibly relocated > into what they themselves now call 'concentration camps'and it was to get > much worse. > The Acholi were seen as warriors and always looking for a fight by > the present leadership. But this is not the case. The Acholi were, because > of centuries of sensible diet, physically fit and of enormous stamina which > made them into extremely capable hunters and they were soon seen by the > British Colonial Administration as being similar to the Nepalese Ghurkas in > their suitability to become professional soldiers, and indeed they served > well in World War 1 and 11. However, they would never fight unless there > was a good and justifiable cause. As they were well organised under their > clan chiefs, elaborate consultations and rituals always took place before > war was declared against a neighbouring tribe. The Acholi had little > problems with their neighbours and enjoyed a good relationship with the > adjoining kingdoms. It is well worth recording for history that it was > Acholi who fought alongside Kabaka Mutesa 11 against their brothers serving > in the Uganda Army at the time of his overthrow, such is their dedication > and loyalty. Their big mistake was the constant friction between themselves > that in all probability is still there. > When it was learnt that the American administration was to make > its own investigation into the problems of the disturbed area in the north > of the country the Acholi supported one of its countrymen, an exile in > London and once a minister in the government that overthrew the military > government in 1979, to take up their case of extreme hardship with the > Americans. This man, H.B. Obonyo M.D., an eminent surgeon working for the > British Health Service, agreed and along with other exiles produced a > document 'Peace with Justice' which had all the signs of being a good > assessment and could have prevented, if it had been accepted, many of the > disasters that were to overtake Rwanda, Congo, Burundi and Uganda itself, > and America must take some of the blame. > Now, in the year 2002, we are seeing this week the capture of a > fellow Uganda citizen in the present uprisings, his body chopped into small > pieces and placed in large metal container and then boiled with the > intention of making his village eat him as punishment for their lack of > support for their rebel cause. We also have seen the forceful relocation of > a neighbouring Rwandese officer from Uganda, where he had taken refuge, to > the United States as part of the London agreement between Britain's Clare > Short, Rwanda and Uganda that dissident army officers fleeing between the > two African countries will be expatriated to a third country. This > certainly smells of neo-colonialism and would have Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana > turning in his grave: and no doubt thousands of dissidents elsewhere will > see a chance of getting to the United States. This week the United Nations > has produced a 59 page document for debate accusing the Uganda government > of plundering the Congo. The war, which seems to be the only way much of > Uganda survives, looks like having an extra boost with the passing out by > President Yoweri Museveni this week of some hundred tank crews along with > new tanks at their Kalama Armoured Tank School: an expense that has the > donor countries crying "Foul!" especially as it has been announced, also > this week, that Uganda is to cut every one of its ministries budgets by 25 > per cent to finance the fighting quality of its army. It is no wonder that > one of their members of parliament, Geoffrey Ekanya, has decided to shout > to the world through their newly created 'Reform Agenda' that it is time > for agriculture and good government and to get away from constant war, > divisions and trouble and the present poverty looming over a once rich and > self sufficient country. Let them take an example from Ghana where exiles > from earlier military governments are re-investing in their country, now > under civilian government, and acquiring property ready for a happy > relocation to their homeland. Now that is what we can call a successful > nation. > > Bob > 25th October 2002. >
Surf the Web without missing calls! Get MSN Broadband. Click Here
