![]() |
|
NO DISASTER: Museveni |
By Felix Osike
GOVERNMENT will not declare northern Uganda a disaster area in spite of a resolution from Parliament and appeals from the donor community, President Yoweri Museveni said yesterday.
Addressing a press conference at the International Conference Centre in Kampala yesterday, Museveni said many parts of the north were not as insecure as had been portrayed.
The President said the UPDF anti-terrorist campaign had registered success and he was optimistic that Kony would be defeated soon.
�West Nile is booming. You can�t call it a dissater. Kyoga county in Lango is booming, Akokoro in Apac is doing well. We couldn�t support that position because the problem is shrinking. Gulu has largely been free of terrorist activities. To declare this area a disaster area, what are you trying to achieve?� asked the President.
The press conference lasted nearly three hours and was attended by ministers Kirunda Kivejinja (Presidency) an
d Nsaba
Buturo (information) and the Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima.
Parliament last month passed a resolution urging the Government to
declare north and north eastern Uganda disaster areas, a proposal supported by the donors.
Museveni attacked the donors, saying they were interfering with the budgeting process and were responsible for the mess in the north because they were allies of Sudan.
Museveni said he called journalists to clarify on the circumstances that led to the masscare of hundreds of civilians at Barlonyo in Lira district.
Twenty-three former captives, who were either rescued or captured in battle, gave testimonies of their experience in rebel hands. The overall intelligence officer for the north, Lt. Col. Awany Otema, interpreted.
Museveni said there was a small internally displaced people�s (IDPs) camp that had grown up around an Amuka (militia) detachment in a derserted area in Barlonyo put up to monitor the movem
ent of
the rebels.
He said the massacre was due to the laxity of the army and the civilians in the area.
�They should not have allowed the camp to develop around a detachment that was dedicated to another purpose.
�The real problem, however, was that the Amukas of Barlonyo had no communication with the larger forces of the UPDF in the area. If only they had informed the Division commander in time, what eventually became a disaster would have been an opportunity to massacre the terrorists,� said the President.
He said the string of victories of the UPDF was marred by the carelessness of the commander at Barlonyo.
He, however, said, �Victory is certain. The IDPs will go home like the ones of Bundibugyo, Kasese and Kabarole did after the decisive defeat of the ADF.�
He also said the IDPs in Teso were now going to their homes after the defeat of the LRA in the region. He said despite Kony�s plan to attack the IDPs, all the 249 camps with
1.4
million people were defended.
�This should serve to show all of you that Barlonyo was an unfortunate accident. Otherwise, the UPDF has done a good job in defending IDPs and in hunting the terroorists,� he said.
He said following the Barlonyo massacre, the UPDF had killed over 60 rebels, rescued captives and recovered an assortment of arms. (Museveni�s full statement will be published in The New Vision soon).
Museveni declined to comment on the recent Uganda Revenue Authority and Constitutional Review Commission reports, saying the Cabinet would discuss them and come up with a position.
On complaints by Kabaka Ronald Mutebi that he lacks political power to develop his kingdom, Museveni said he would meet the king to discuss his grievances.
Museveni also said he would set up a judicial commission of inquiry into the Judiciary.
Ends
Published on: Thursday, 4th March, 2004 |
