Soldiers Risk Firing Squad

By Nathan Etengu in Moroto PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has warned soldiers who will be deployed for the Karamoja disarmament exercise to observe maximum discipline. Speaking at rallies at Kololo, Matany and Naitakwi near Moroto town on Tuesday, he said any soldier who rapes would be killed by firing squad. Museveni, who is on a five-day tour of Karamoja, said the army would protect the lives and property of the Karimojong. He said the movement was not a “mushroom” government like the previous regimes. “The previous regimes that you very well know collapsed like mushrooms. But this is not the same case with the movement government that has been in power for the last 16 years. Other groups have tried to shake it, but no way,” Museveni said. He said the government and the UPDF have grown in strength and were able to protect the territorial boundary of the country. He said the gun culture that has bedevilled Karamoja was a result of the weak past regimes. He said these governments failed to protect the Karimojong, forcing them to illegally acquire guns to protect themselves. “Therefore, this is the time to save you from this evil gun that has killed you and your neighbours,” Museveni said. He said Karamoja had the highest infant mortality rate in the country as a result of the insecurity. He said only nine out of every 100 children born in Karamoja were delivered in hospitals. He said the rest are delivered in unhygienic manyattas, leading to several deaths. Ends