Why do we always shun military aid?
Through your independent voice, kindly allow me request the Minister of Defence, Mr Amama Mbabazi, to explain why the government always refuses external or international support to end the war in northern Uganda.
This war, which has raged on for nearly 20 years, has caused either suffering or death of thousands of innocent people in addition to destruction of personal and public property. The government promises of ending the war have been empty. Specifically, let the minister explain why:
- Our Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Francis Butagira, refused to seek help from the international communtiy - mid 2004 - to help end the LRA war. He shamelessly announced to the world that the UPDF did not require any outside help since they were just mopping up LRA remnants.
- When the African Union offered to help Ms Betty Bigombe in her peace initiative, it was none other than President Museveni who poured cold water on that offer.
- Recently, we were informed that the Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, outrightly rejected an offer by Kenyan and Tanzanian armed forces to help solve the LRA problem.
Honourable minister are you and the government expecting to get a gold medal for single handedly defeating renegade Joseph Kony? Even the mighty US army which for all practical purposes defeated ex president Saddam Hussein, never stopped begging for external support during that campaign - and yet I doubt if they got any medal forrouting Saddam very fast! ( observers believe the US will be in Iraq for the long haul..and that the house of cards ,also known as Iraq Government and Security forces, which the US has help build will collapse as soon as the US withdraws it's forces from Iraq. Iraq will then be a heaven for Terrorist..a training ground for every concievable Islam Terrorist in the Islamic world ..What then would have been achieved by the US invasion of Iraq...I say nothing)
Look at it this way Mr Minister, it is not you or your government officials who need the help which you are rejecting. It is the suffering people in northern Uganda who need that help in order to be relieved from the 20-year-old disaster, which you have failed to end.
What have those people done to you to deny them help? Your behaviour is not any different from that of the parents of that famous boy - Enock Ssebanga - the distressed kid on Gayaza Road who was rescued by Pplice from parents who did not want any outside help. Who shall be the police for the suffering population in northern Uganda?
Silver Nyanzi,
Kampala.
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