MPs pin soldiers in DRC case
By Elias Biryabarema
Feb 20, 2004
PARLIAMENT - Lawmakers are not happy that the government plans to spend pubic money to pay for out-of-court negotiations with the DR Congo.Uganda is working on an out-of-court settlement with DR Congo over the alleged plunder of that country's resources by the UPDF before the April deadline set by the International Court of Justice expires.
However, MPs on the Finance committee want the army officers who allegedly profited from Uganda's participation in the war in the DR Congo to foot the bills. ( This is only fair) The late President Laurent Kabila's government lodged a complaint with the International Court of Justice at The Hague, accusing Uganda of invading its territory and plundering its resources.
The DR Congo is seeking from Uganda an unspecified amount of money as compensation for acts of "aggression and plunder".Last November, the Congolese government asked ICJ for six months to allow the two countries work out a settlement.
The talks, however, have not taken off with only two months left to the April deadline.The MPs voiced their misgivings on Tuesday while looking at the supplementary budgets for various government ministries and departments.
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs needs about Shs 31 billion to meet, among others, the cost of the out-court-negotiations.Said Mr Aggrey Awori (Sami Bugwe North): "An investigation was carried out by Justice Porter and a number of people were found culpable.
They have never been tried nor have they paid for their crimes. Now we are being made to pay for the crimes of individuals."He said that the implicated officers should be tried quickly for causing a huge financial loss to the Treasury.
The Justice David Porter probe implicated Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh and Maj. Gen. James Kazini, among others, for the illicit exploitation of DR Congo's natural resources such as minerals and timber. There have also been two UN Panels investigating the plunder allegations. Kampala has, however, dismissed the panels' findings.
Uganda says it went to the DR Congo to fight rebels such as the ADF who had rear bases there and to help prevent a genocide in the wake of war in that country.
The MPs also queried a cash request from the President's Office meant to pay transport and retirement packages for 84 resident district commissioners who were sacked in December.
Mr Henry Banyenzaki (Rubanda West) said: "The problem is that these people are sacked from RDC positions and immediately redeployed in other government departments. And then we pay them packages when they are still in government."
He said he knows one RDC who was sacked from Kabale and instantly deployed in State House.The MPs advised government to use the money originally allotted for RDC salaries to pay those who were dismissed.
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."
- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister
