Where " ... At least 47 civilians died ..,", dictator Museveni says "... It was not a massacre .... a massacre means killing defenceless people ... whereas people in camps do not live very comfortably, they are still alive, their children go to school and they
get relief food and other items however modest.... If their conditions were unbearable, they would have got out. They are not in prison," ...".
get relief food and other items however modest.... If their conditions were unbearable, they would have got out. They are not in prison," ...".
These and other statements below sure suck!! In civilized democracies, the president and commader-in-chief of the UPDF would have resigned. But the dictator instead calls this ".. not a massacre ...". It seems, the only massacre he will acknowledge is when his own family is kiiled!!
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Museveni speaks on Abia attack (The MOnitor)
By Frank Nyakairu
Feb 9, 2004
KAMPALA - Last week's attack on a camp for the internally displaced in Lira
in which about 47 people died was not a massacre, President Museveni has
said.
"It was not a massacre as Mr Pike put it," the President said at the
weekend.
He was speaking to the editors in chief of The Monitor and The New Vision,
Mr Wafula Oguttu and Mr William Pike, whom he invited to State House,
Nakasero, on Saturday.
Mr Museveni wanted to make a clarification on the incident, which he said
was not presented accurately by the media.
At least 47 civilians died in Thursday's gruesome attack by the rebel Lord's
Resistance Army on Abia internally displaced persons camp.
The camp is located in Moroto County, 25km north of Lira town. On Friday,
the Vision carried a report on the incident with a ba nner headline reading,
Massacre.
Museveni said a massacre means killing defenceless people. He said the Amuka
militia fought gallantly and repulsed the bandits, as he called the Joseph
Kony-led rebels.
Museveni said it was during the fighting that some innocent civilians were
killed.
The President was particularly concerned that the media did not bring out
the "vital and commendable role played" by the militia in resisting the
rebel attack.
In his statement to the two media chiefs, Museveni criticised the UPDF area
commanders for the mistakes made before and during the attack. He said the
UPDF made two big mistakes.
Mistake number one, he said, was for the commanders to send off the Amuka
militia on a lone mission to search for the rebels.
He said all the commanders know that searching for rebels is the work of the
UPDF.
The militia fighters are supposed to guard the rear and the roads. Mistake
number two, he added, was that after the militia fighters sighted the
bandits in Akwanga sub-county, they immediately informed the UPDF.
The latter, however, did not respond as expected, the commander in chief
said. Instead the militia had to fight the enemy alone, he said.
It was after the battle at Akwanga, he said, that the rebels moved to attack
the Abia camp.
The President said that as a result of these "obvious" mistakes committed by
the UPDF, the Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, set up a board of
inquiry into the incident.
The army commander also attended the Saturday briefing together with the
Minister of State for Information, Mr Nsaba Buturo.
Museveni said the offensive against the Kony fighters was going on very
well.
Most of their senior commanders, he said, have been killed by the army in
recent encounters reducing their estimated force to about 400 men split in
eight groups.
He said five groups under Kony, Otti, Abudema, Banya and Kapere are in Sudan
while three groups under the overall command of Odhiambo are still roaming
northern Uganda.
The President said that Odhiambo is the next rebel commander UPDF is going
to kill.
Asked why government was not giving sufficient relief support to the camps
for the displaced, Museveni said that whereas people in camps do not live
very comfortably, they are still alive, their children go to school and they
get relief food and other items however modest.
"If their conditions were unbearable, they would have got out. They are not
in prison," Museveni said. On the peace initiative, the President said he
has done everything possible.
Museveni said that, at the request of the Carter Centre, he even wrote a
peace letter to Kony guaranteeing the safety of the rebels if they
surrendered.
The letter was later delivered to Kony in person at Situ in Sudan by one of
former US President Jimmy Carter's men involved in the peace negotiations.
Nyakairima informed the President that the said letter was found on the body
of rebel commander Yardin Tolbert Nyeko, who was killed on January 19, at
Wii-Lacic in Aruu County in Pader district.
The President said LRA were not serious about the peace talks. He said those
who wish to keep trying the peace initiative should do so as he continues
his work on the military front.
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
By Frank Nyakairu
Feb 9, 2004
KAMPALA - Last week's attack on a camp for the internally displaced in Lira
in which about 47 people died was not a massacre, President Museveni has
said.
"It was not a massacre as Mr Pike put it," the President said at the
weekend.
He was speaking to the editors in chief of The Monitor and The New Vision,
Mr Wafula Oguttu and Mr William Pike, whom he invited to State House,
Nakasero, on Saturday.
Mr Museveni wanted to make a clarification on the incident, which he said
was not presented accurately by the media.
At least 47 civilians died in Thursday's gruesome attack by the rebel Lord's
Resistance Army on Abia internally displaced persons camp.
The camp is located in Moroto County, 25km north of Lira town. On Friday,
the Vision carried a report on the incident with a ba nner headline reading,
Massacre.
Museveni said a massacre means killing defenceless people. He said the Amuka
militia fought gallantly and repulsed the bandits, as he called the Joseph
Kony-led rebels.
Museveni said it was during the fighting that some innocent civilians were
killed.
The President was particularly concerned that the media did not bring out
the "vital and commendable role played" by the militia in resisting the
rebel attack.
In his statement to the two media chiefs, Museveni criticised the UPDF area
commanders for the mistakes made before and during the attack. He said the
UPDF made two big mistakes.
Mistake number one, he said, was for the commanders to send off the Amuka
militia on a lone mission to search for the rebels.
He said all the commanders know that searching for rebels is the work of the
UPDF.
The militia fighters are supposed to guard the rear and the roads. Mistake
number two, he added, was that after the militia fighters sighted the
bandits in Akwanga sub-county, they immediately informed the UPDF.
The latter, however, did not respond as expected, the commander in chief
said. Instead the militia had to fight the enemy alone, he said.
It was after the battle at Akwanga, he said, that the rebels moved to attack
the Abia camp.
The President said that as a result of these "obvious" mistakes committed by
the UPDF, the Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, set up a board of
inquiry into the incident.
The army commander also attended the Saturday briefing together with the
Minister of State for Information, Mr Nsaba Buturo.
Museveni said the offensive against the Kony fighters was going on very
well.
Most of their senior commanders, he said, have been killed by the army in
recent encounters reducing their estimated force to about 400 men split in
eight groups.
He said five groups under Kony, Otti, Abudema, Banya and Kapere are in Sudan
while three groups under the overall command of Odhiambo are still roaming
northern Uganda.
The President said that Odhiambo is the next rebel commander UPDF is going
to kill.
Asked why government was not giving sufficient relief support to the camps
for the displaced, Museveni said that whereas people in camps do not live
very comfortably, they are still alive, their children go to school and they
get relief food and other items however modest.
"If their conditions were unbearable, they would have got out. They are not
in prison," Museveni said. On the peace initiative, the President said he
has done everything possible.
Museveni said that, at the request of the Carter Centre, he even wrote a
peace letter to Kony guaranteeing the safety of the rebels if they
surrendered.
The letter was later delivered to Kony in person at Situ in Sudan by one of
former US President Jimmy Carter's men involved in the peace negotiations.
Nyakairima informed the President that the said letter was found on the body
of rebel commander Yardin Tolbert Nyeko, who was killed on January 19, at
Wii-Lacic in Aruu County in Pader district.
The President said LRA were not serious about the peace talks. He said those
who wish to keep trying the peace initiative should do so as he continues
his work on the military front.
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