I wish the UPDF good luck in South Sudan

By Charles Okecha

While conflict simmered in the hearts of the South Sudanese, some Ugandan evangelicals were busy preaching the gospel of reconciliation to the largely semi-nomadic people.

They reported to us the plight of Ugandans doing business there. Some were robbed, raped or killed with no one to listen to their grievances or come to their rescue.

Meanwhile Ugandan MPs instead pressurised the Government to build more parking space for their cars. We yearned and prayed for the Government intervention, and surely God has heard the cries of the blood of innocent victims and wants things sorted out once and for all.

It is Uganda’s turn to pay the heavy price after all it would never have barricaded its northern borders to block influx of refugees.

Besides that the whole world that sat back and watched Kony and his cohorts butcher, maim and rape our people can never help us to seal him off our land. This called for a brilliant and brave hearted leadership to act swiftly. Ever since our country adopted partisan politics, squirrels have leeway to ride on the backs of elephants. To the extent that a teenager still learning to budget for pocket money finds way into Parliament.  You can gauge from all the rants published in the media that many rats cannot make tangible and discreet decisions in such crucial times.

Tanzanians paid a heavy price for Ugandans to settle. In 1980, the Uganda Times  published images of the late Julius Nyerere laying wreath over the graves of over 400 fallen Tanzanian soldiers killed in Uganda! Had they coiled their tails like our eastern counterparts, Uganda would have ceased from being a nation. They babysat our army and police, many of whom are the present day generals. In fact the US government is just replicating in Afghanistan what the Tanzanians did in our country three decades ago.

One thing the Americans have in common with us is  the name of God inscribed in their national motto. If they thought that was an empty slogan, they were playing with fire. The Scripture says, ‘Do not take the name of God in vain. The LORD shall hold you accountable’. The Americans are by instinct compelled not to stay silent when it is within their means to help those suffering anywhere in the world. If wild accusations hurled at them as greedy for wealth and power were absolutely true, they would have immediately left Afghanistan after slaying Osama Bin Laden. It is through their pressure that the Syrian regime of Assad vowed never to use chemical weapons again but to dismantle them..

The same divine onus is on Uganda and for that very reason we are called the Pearl of Africa. The country’s leadership and people must understand that call and focus knowledge and resources to impact the African continent. In 2004 this writer trained some Malawian students at Islamic University Mbale campus in basic computer application skills. They organised a graduation ceremony for the award of certificates!  I know of a form six dropout from Kampala High School who headed the science department in a school Kenya for several years. We have many idle brilliant brains and vast opportunities in nations around us that could benefit our country economically but our politicians are shortsighted. They are instead using their professions and energy to muster the unemployed educated youth to riot them into power so as to become project managers of these pot hole-filled shanty towns.

The truth about the less developed world is that they can never talk peace unless one party in a conflict is weakened. UNLA had to be defeated first before reintegration. Libya had peace because Gadaffi subdued all rebel factions, a difficult task with the many armed militias now. Uganda must carry its cross because her founder fathers chose to inscribe God’s name in her motto. You cannot take God’s name in vain. He will force you to pay heavy sacrifice for the suffering just as He did with His dear Son. Good luck UPDF. I hope the South Sudanese will turn from savage nomadism and learn courtesy when peace returns.

The writer works with St. Paul’s College, Mbale.