Friends
Many have argued that we need a government change, and that argument has generated its own life as we speak. I am just cautioning you that this call has been around since 1971. To those of us that have lived a little while, the word we need a government change became a morning pill since Amin came to power. And yes in 1979 we started to change our governments faster than any other African country. We have had the following presidents since the fall of Amin, Yusuf Lule for 69 days, Godfrey Lukongwa Binayiisa for 327 days, Paul Muwanga for 10 days, Presidential Commission for 207 days, Milton Obote for 4 years and 222 days, Bazillio Olara Okello for 2 days, Tito Okello for 184 days, to the encumber Yoweri Museveni who is about now 30 years in power. We have had 8 presidents since the departure of Iddi Amin from power in 1979, but the call of a government change keeps on growing larger and larger, when the situation is not getting better but very worse. There is also two very interesting factors on all the 9 presidents that have lead Uganda after Iddi Amin, they are all from UPC, but they all used Acholi and Langi that inflict violence to people in day light. When you actually look at UPDF when it was very bad in Somalia, when women were raped the most, weapons stolen and sold to rebels, and food rations of soldiers stolen and sold, the UPDF commander in Somalia at a time, was Brig. Paul Loketch, an Acholi and a brother of Gwokto. So this violence has been following Ugandans wherever Acholi and Langi pass, and we simply failed to put our fingers on it, but only continuing to call for government change. Let you never forget this Acholi that took a gun in Luzira and killed people then crashed their chickens to death. <http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ucq9r> Kayihura condemns Luzira shooting incident - DailyMotion .And that Is the kind of violence we have lived under since Amins departure. What we need in Uganda is not a government change but an understanding on how violent Acholi are, if we can get our heads to understand that, but find a solution to it, we will be half way solving Ugandas problems. Acholi must stop to cry victims when they are the God-fathers of violence in our country. Department of Women and Gender Studies and Faculty of Arts, Peace and Conflict program Makerere University wrote a report it submitted to Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Kampala office, under a heading Gender Dimensions of Conflict: Strategies for Sustainable Peace Read these direct quotes from those that have lived under the tyranny of Acholi, then wonder how many failed to get a chance of documenting their sufferings. After you read these testimonies, you will realize that Acholi violence is real and we as Ugandans need to discuss it but very candidly. Jessica, Luweero During the conflict in Luweero, our father was killed when he was trying to prevent the soldiers from raping my mother and me. After killing him and my mother, we ran away together with my brothers. Our lives were reduced to that of paupers and right now we are just struggling to survive. We used to be fairy well off. For instance we had 180 hybrid animals; hens and goats and a coffee plantation. We lived in a decent house and also owned a car. Because of the conflict, we lost all. I was unable to complete my primary education and my brothers only managed to complete A Level. My uncle chose to pay school fees for the boys leaving me out saying that I could get married and survive with limited education which the boys could not do. Surviving on my own has been difficult since I was raped by a group of soldiers and almost everyone in the village has heard my story. This greatly limited my chances of finding a partner. Even if there was one who was interested in me, I do not think I would have married him. I hate men! Agnes, Bar camp Lira One thing that I can never fail to forget in my life is what rebels did to my two daughters, they had just come back from school like yesterday and at night rebels came, picked them at night together with me, took us for some distance where their friends were, on reaching one of their leaders said he wants these girls, I stood firm and told them to first kill me before doing anything onto my daughters, they tied me and called for a Panga so that they cut my neck, but something changed their mind and said since am resisting they will sleep with my daughters while am seeing so that they see what I can do, and they did it, and now I dont know whether they are not sick already with AIDS, the only thing I can now say is that God should forgive them because they are even our children who were also abducted, and they were even speaking pure Lango. Santa, Awer camp, Gulu I dont even know where to begin from, this war has brought me to a level I feel God should only take away my life. I can not hide this from you my son. I have been forced into sex two times. The worst happened in front of my children by rebels, that was when we were not yet told to come to the camp from Amuru village where my home was. The second time it happened, I never told my husband because I knew it would make him weaker and abandon me, the only thing I know now is that, we in the camp are all going to die of the diseases, so my plea is that, the government should talk peace with Kony and he comes out so that we go back to our villages and wait for our death. Dorcus, Barr Stock Farm, Lira I was abducted when I had gone to visit my uncle in Okwang, we had been hearing rumors that rebels are coming from Kitgum side and heading towards Soroti, so we thought they would pass from a different direction but at night they came up to the village where I was, they abducted 17 people from that place, we went but on our way they kept on cutting people who mention that they are already tired, they killed three people and we all got scared and started fearing, we continued going, when we reached some where inside Kitgum, all the men were released, telling us that Kony wants young girls only this time so there is no need of taking men, they then divided all of us among themselves as wives, we were now only six girls, I fell sick and at that time I was already pregnant then my baby came out prematurely and died, I was then released when I was very weak, I walked up to Kitgum town, my sister was killed on the way when we had yet walked for less than twenty miles, it still disturbs me so much when I remember how she was crying calling my name to help her stop the rebels not to cut her neck, at times I dont sleep when I remember, I just feel like killing myself Stay in the forum for Series two hundred and eighty four is on the way ------> EM On the 49th Parallel Thé Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy" Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi "Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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