Now read this hogwash!
Re-formulating Uganda is what is needed. But first there must be change.
The so called NRA/M "revolution", Ugandans have already seen it. There is
nothing new to add on this so called "revolution". What Ugandans see is what
they have got. Period. There is nothing more coming. Its like the growth of a
living thing. At some point, the growth stops, replaced by reverse growth!
Reverse growth is the present state of the NRA/M so called "revolution".
Initially however, basically, the "revolution" was to serve two important
purupose: 1). Overthrow the govt. of Rwanda and install Tutsis in power. 2).
Drive Northerners out of power, kill as many as possible to deal a blow to the
Acholi and Langi EGO, and in the vacant positions, put in the Banyangkole et al.
Thereafter, there wasn't anything else revolutionary to do. All they embarked
on was to sell the country to the highest bidders. Economy is now 80% foreign
control. If this continue, in 20 years, current Ugandan children will not even
have a say in the affairs of the country; like the North American Indians!
This we cannot allow it to get entrenched under our watch. Mu7's government
needs to make way for a new wave of leadership. For the last 20 years the NRA/M
has done completely nothing for the country. Uganda Railway is roting; Uganda
Airline is dead; anything that should have been state managed and run, are all
dead! The NRA/M government could not even put in place facilities for Ugandan
nurses to utilize their skills in the country. Instead Mu7 tell nurses to go to
Europe to work so they can send money back home; money that end up looted by
government officials! Yet thousands of people in the North and East need nurses
and physicians badly since they are being bombed left, right and centre!! If
this is not idiocy of grandois, what is?
Somebody must be a crackhead to think that there is a revolution in Uganda!
And quite franckly if it were me in position of power, I would have such a
crackhead shot! Full stop.
People are perishing needlessly and all we are being told is about silly
"revolution"?
Ocii
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In defence of the UPDF
Col (Rtd) Fred Mwesigye KAMPALA
In recent news paper commentaries, Opposition propaganda, fully aware of the
fact that ordinary Ugandans are sophisticated in investigating the history of
the our liberation struggle, have turned to demonising the UPDF as tribally
unbalanced in favour of western Uganda.
This propaganda mainly comes from opposition groups in Parliament and some
Northern Uganda politicians, some of them, known apologists of the Lord
Resistance Army (LRA). As is usually the case for most of the propaganda made
in the press about the UPDF, the attacks are aimed at one, tarnishing the good
image the UPDF has earned from Ugandans, through sacrifice and hard work and
secondly, comparing the UPDF and former armies whose composition, both in rank
and file were utterly sectarian. Another reason for this propaganda is to
obscure the reality of the historical process of the evolution of the UPDF into
Peoples Defence Force.
The propagandists also deliberately ignore the fact that western Uganda is not
inhabited by one single homogeneous tribal entity, but a multiplicity of
loosely related people different from each other, such as the Bafumbira of
Kisoro, the Bakonjo of Kasese and the Alurs of Masindi district and others.
What the propagandists don't say is this fact that it was Dr Milton Obote and
his cohorts in Kikosi Maalum who imposed on FRONASA [the forerunner to the
National Resistance Army] the unfortunate situation that gave rise to a
disproportionate rise of the number of westerners in its ranks.
They are eager to evade the reality that the NRM has successfully struggled to
even out the ethnic imbalance, in favour of the rest of the other regions,
since 1986.
The UPDF, formerly NRA, is an offspring of Front for National Salvation
(FRONASA), which was a consummation of the struggle by African patriots to
forge the path to the self-determination of our people that started in the
1950's.
University Students African Revolutionary Front (USARF), a studentsÂ’ study
group at Dar- es- alaam University formalised the organic linkage of this
struggle and opened the gates for cooperation in building the capacity for the
our peoples' struggle. The capacity built and knowledge gained in this
cooperation is what helped in forming and building FRONASA as well as shaping
its resilience.
Judging from the social composition of members of USARF, the leadership of
FRONASA and its internal collaborators, it is clear that the original goals of
the revolutionary forces was to build a broad based coalition of resistance
fighters against tyrannical regimes in Africa.
Put differently, USARF and FRONASA brought together comrades of the same Pan
African ideology irrespective of their ethnic origins. USARF had in ranks its
students of diverse African origins, that is, Sudanese, Ugandans, Tanzanians,
Malawians, Zambians, Kenyans, Zimbabweans, Ethiopians and Rwandese.
Big tent revolution
The broad based nature of USARF becomes clearer if casual analysis is done on
its Ugandan membership. It had Mulwanyamuli Ssemogerere and John Kawanga
(Buganda), James Wapakhabulo (Gisu), Yoweri Museveni, Eriya Kategeya, Martin
Mwesiga (Banyankole).
Additionally both the external and internal leadership of FRONASA was broad
based. Externally, those involved in its formation were Yoweri Museveni
(Ankole), Raiti Omongin (Itesot, born in current district of Nakapriprit),
Martin Mwesiga (Munyankole), James Wapakakbulo (Gisu from Mbale), Mwesiga Black
and Valelino Rwaheru (All Banyankole).
Internally, members were Ruhakana Rugunda (Mukiga), Eriya Kategeya
(Munyankole), Ikuya Magode (Jophadola), Maumbe Muhkwana (a Mugisu from Mbale),
Abbas Kibazo, Haruna Kibuye, Zubairi Bakali, James Kasozi (all of them Buganda)
and Akena Pajok (An Acholi).
Batches of FRONASA recruits in all three intakes at Nakingwea and in the 1975
to 1976 training at Montipez in Mozambique support the notion of the national
character of this organisation. Most of the recruits in the three intakes were
from eastern Uganda. They included comrades like Wanzala Mukuwa, Wepkhkulu
Mayega and Bernard Okello Solo (all of them still alive). The 1976 Montipez
group of 28 makes this point even more boldly.
This group, which according to our Commander In Chief constituted the backbone
of NRA, drew its, recruits from Kumam, Banyankole, Langi, Baganda and the
Badama. Of the 28, 12 were Kumam, two were Langi, one was a Mudama, two were
Banyarwanda, one a Muganda and ten were Banyankole. Major Bosco Emule (Langi)
and Martin Zoyoni(Kuman) are some of the none Banyankole survivors in the
Montepez group.
More than anything else, the execution of the plan to open FRONASA cells and
bases in the early phase of launching the protracted people's war demonstrates
the non ethnic vision of the leadership that has historically presided over the
evolution of the UPDF into a National Defence Force.
By 1973, FRONASA had opened a nationwide network of guerrilla bases and cells.
Bases were opened in present day districts of Kapchorwa, Mbale, Tororo, Iganga,
Mukono, Kampala, Masaka, Gulu, Kabalore, Mbarara, Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu.
This wide network was yet another illustration of the national character of the
struggle.
The fact that Akena Pajok, an Acholi, was the main internal contact, kept the
guns for Gulu base and was leader of the intellectuals cell, speaks for the
conscious attempts to build a struggle guided by ideology rather than ethnicity
and regionalism.
Further evidence for the broad based character for the evolution of our army is
clear from the fact that Haruna Kibuye, Zubairi Bakali and Abbas Kibazo, cadres
who Museveni, while leader of Fronasa, entrusted with safeguarding his
movements and security whenever he visited Kampala were Muslims and Baganda.
The involvement of this group at this strategic and highly sensitive level
underscores the trust Museveni had in these cadres, which trust was based on
evaluation of their ideological commitment to the struggle.
Francis Ayeli alias Francis Pipino was the first commander of FRONASA forces
while Michael Onya alias Zoyoni Martin and Denis Echo were in the second level
of recruitment agents immediately working under Amama Mbabazi reinforces the
ideological element UNLA soldiers and recruiting a battalion from each of the
other fighting forces.
If the NRA was sectarian and had sectarian goals, then why is it that it
overzealously integrated the UNLA, which was predominantly Acholi? The
integration exercises demonstrated that the NRA fulfilled its promise to build
a nationally balanced army.
Ugandans ,who care to read will, recall that the Chairman High Command told
William Pike in 1984 that "NRA would recruit from other districts as soon as
conditions allowed". Besides, even before conditions could allow, by 1984,
there were many soldiers from West Nile, Acholi and Teso who had been captured
on the front line and decided to join the NRA.
Interestingly, even when, the NRA was fighting a regime headed by Obote, a
Langi, NRA had Langi internal collaborators within the units of UNLA. An
example is Major Bosco Emule, the adjutant at UNLA Bombo Barracks, who was
responsible for the release of most of the NRA civilian collaborators detained
there.
Emule was motivated by his ideological association with FRONASA, not tribalism
for he was among the 28 trained at Montipez. The reality of the historical
facts discussed above, the status of recruitment, training and promotions in
the UPDF today combine to disprove those who have made it a habit to malign the
contribution UPDF has made in transforming Uganda's politics.
Any sample of cadet course intakes will show that the UPDF's entrants to
officer ranks are tribally balanced. Cadet course graduates are the ones who
will in a very short while become Commanding Officers and Directors in the
UPDF.
These are the ones who are the dominant and driving component of the Armed
Forces Council. They will also soon be at the helm of the UPDF in future. These
facts are a good case study for scholars or other curious Ugandans who may be
interested in studying the evolution of our defence forces.
In conclusion, I am appealing to the current and future generation to jealously
guard these achievements, as they are a result of painful sacrifices. This
article is reproduced here courtesy of Uganda Heroes Magazine and online
archive. It appears in the next issue of the publication.
Matek Opoko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: UPDF, Kenyan Pokot clash
David Mafabi BUKWO Hardly three weeks after Kenyan Pokot warriors engaged
the Uganda People's Defence Forces in an armed clash, the two parties clashed
again on Friday.
Heavy gun fire rocked Bukwo in the morning of Friday, and according to
locals, the Pokot raided 400 head of cattle while the army says they took 89.
In the earlier clash, the army killed six Pokot warriors, one soldier died
and over 700 head of cattle impounded by UPDF.
Bukwo LC5 chairman Reuben Chelimo said the heavily armed warriors took
advantage of a border security meeting involving the district leadership and
UPDF sector commander Festus Lubega in Suam sub-county to effect the raid.
He said the Pokot escaped with four donkeys and one goat after the battle.
---------------------------------
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