Uganda army in 'rights abuses'
By Will Ross
BBC, Kampala, Uganda
The Ugandan president has admitted the army is not made up of angels
The Ugandan army has been accused of carrying out severe human rights abuses on
the civilian population in the north of the country.
A report by a group of human rights organisations says the atrocities of the
rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on the civilian population are well
documented.
But it says the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) and officials of other
government-related military security agencies have committed multiple abuses including
summary execution, torture, rape and child recruitment.
The report - entitled "Abducted and Abused: Renewed Conflict in Northern Uganda"
- paints a grim picture of the lives of civilians in northern Uganda.
There are two young girls who were returning from the garden and they
found soldiers who intercepted and raped them. Both were tested for HIV and the result
was positive
Samuel Tindifa
Makerere University
"There are two young girls, one 12 years old and the other 17, who were
returning from the garden and they found soldiers who intercepted and raped them,"
says Samuel Tindifa, the director of the human rights and peace centre at Makerere
University, which contributed to the report.
"Both girls were tested for HIV and the result was positive".
The report concludes that the presence of Ugandan soldiers has increased the
HIV-Aids infection rate in the north of the country.
Data proves that while in general Uganda has taken great strides in tackling the
Aids pandemic, with government claiming the HIV infection rate is around 6%, in
northern Uganda the rates are higher.
When I visited Kitgum District hospital recently I learnt that 9% of pregnant
mothers are HIV-positive, while 29% of people who voluntarily get tested are
HIV-positive.
'Torture rampant'
The report also alleges that, often against their will, former LRA child
soldiers are recruited into the Ugandan army.
It cites an example of one boy who was badly tortured under interrogation by the
Ugandan army about his LRA activities.
The report says when asked if he wanted to join the army he was threatened: "If
not you will stay in this prison forever."
The report also claims the UPDF arrests civilians on suspicion of rebel
collaboration with little or no evidence and alleges the torture and ill treatment of
suspects has been rampant.
In response to the report, the Ugandan army spokesman, Major Shaban Bantariza,
commented: "I am not saying that no Ugandan soldier can kill a civilian."
But he called on human rights organisations to come up with detailed allegations
that can then be followed up rather than accusations which he described as "rain in
the desert".
'Hidden agenda'
The army spokesman accused the New York-based Human Rights Watch of relying on
information from organisations and individuals whose reliability and credibility are
questionable.
He accused Human Rights Focus, an organisation based in the northern Ugandan
town of Gulu, of having a hidden agenda and not reflecting the real situation on the
ground.
It does not come as a surprise that the government would dismiss it as
impartial information
Jeffrey Scott
Human Rights Watch
Jeffrey Scott, of Human Rights Watch, defended his organisation's method of
research.
"Our information is very carefully gathered based on first hand information that
is very carefully cross checked and collaborated and, frankly, it does not come as a
surprise that the government would dismiss it as impartial information," says Mr
Scott.
This is not the first time the Ugandan army has come under heavy criticism for
its behaviour.
The Ugandan president has admitted that the army is not entirely made up of
angels.
But the report challenges the government to investigate these claims and to
improve its human rights record.
What this report underlines is the multiple suffering that the civilian
population is facing during this war and the urgent need to end it.
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
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