..and I believe Yoweri Museveni Kaguta can count on the Washington Administartion to finance efforts to strenghten the UPDF. Museveni can tell the BUSh administartion that the money is needed to fight "Terrorist" ( yup that is the key word... that ought to get the americans moving!!)
UPDF to Be Strengthened, Says Museveni
New Vision (Kampala)August 18, 2003
Posted to the web August 18, 2003 Nathan Etengu And Richard Otim
Kampala PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said the strength of the UPDF has to be beefed up to counter the lingering insecurity in parts of the country.
Museveni was speaking at a public rally at Soroti Sports Ground on Saturday evening. He said the Government plans to rescind the decision taken in 1992 to reduce the number of soldiers in order to save money for development."We had cut down the size of the army from 100,000 soldiers to only 40,000 in order to save money for development.
However, since some people (rebels) are foolish, we are going to mobilise and show them that we can move in both forward and reverse gear," he said.He said the persistence of the rebel activities had forced the Government to go into the "reverse gear" and mobilise the community against the rebels who were anti-development.
The traditional leader for the Iteso, the Emorimor, His Highness, Augustine Osuban Lemukol, state ministers, Mike Mukula, Lt. Gen. Jeje Odongo, Christine Amongin Aporu and the Army commander, Major General Aronda Nyakairima, attended the rally.
Teso leaders, including Katakwi LC5 chairman Stephen Ilemukorit, MPs Capt. John Emily Otekat (Soroti), Ismael Orot (Kumi) and Hajji Umar Okodel turned up in military fatigue and declared they had joined the Arrow Group boys.Kaberamaido district chairman Victor Ekesu told the President that the LRA rebels had in the morning killed 13 people in Anyara sub-county.
He said the victims were among the over 80 civilians abducted by the rebels that day from Awiri village, Anyara.Museveni hailed the people of Teso and Lango for mobilising voluntary forces to fight the LRA.He said the Arrow Group from Teso and the Amuka (Rhino) Defence Unit from Lango, would be equipped to support the UPDF to wipe out the rebels.
He said the number of volunteers should be increased to at least one battalion (about 700) for every two sub-counties in the areas disturbed by the rebels.Museveni said a hotline would be installed to receive information on the rebels in any part of the region for quick response.
He vowed to deal with indisciplined and lazy UPDF commanders who ignore information given to them about the presence and movement of rebels in the region.He said some of the commanding officers had been arrested for laxity and failing to respond to tips from the civilian.
"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
