Uganda is not in conflict - PM Mbabazi

Mar 17, 2012

Premier Amama Mbabazi has come up to openly tell the world that Uganda is at peace in a YouTube message, aimed at clearing the air over allegations that Joseph Kony still exists in northern Uganda.

By Norman Katende

Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi has come up to openly tell the world  that Uganda is at peace in a YouTube message, aimed at clearing the air over allegations that Joseph Kony still exists in northern Uganda.

The Invisible Children, in their latest campaign dubbed Kony2012, uploaded a video on YouTube and viewed by millions of online users, depicts Uganda as still in the conflict.

But Mbabazi in his over eight-minute video told the world that Kony has not returned to Uganda since he was defeated by the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) in 2006.

“Kony is truly an evil criminal,” Mbabazi stated, describing the warlord who mutilated thousands, killed innocent people, forced children into war, used young girls as sex slaves and forced children to take arms against the government.

“Joseph Kony is not in Uganda. United Nations and CIA agree that Joseph Kony has not based his criminal organisations in Uganda since 2006.”

The Premier said Kony is now based in the Central Africa Republic, DR Congo and Southern Sudan and ICC has issued an arrest warrant on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) that has become a regional menace.

“Uganda is not in conflict. It is a modern developing country which enjoys peace, stability and security,” he assured, and explained that it is from this that Lonely Planets declared Uganda as the best place to visit in 2012 in the world.

Mbabazi said he had managed to tweet with the 20 celebrities that had been signed up to the Kony2012 campaign to visit Uganda, especially the northern region where the video claims that Kony is still active.

He invited the celebrities to come and see how the people have managed to go back to normal life after the atrocious LRA group was forced out of the country to neighboring regions..

“They will meet the people who lost family members to the murderous gangs of the LRA, and whose children were abducted and never to be seen again and those who were forced to flee.

“You all come and see Uganda for yourself. You will see a very big difference from that was portrayed by the Invisible Children,” Mbabazi assures.

‘Russell gone mad’

Meanwhile, international media reports indicate that co-founder of Invisible Children and one of the masterminds of the controversial Kony2012 campaign, Jason Russell, has allegedly run mad.

The reports show that Russell was arrested on Friday for “masturbating in public”.

Witnesses said that the engineer behind the campaign, “could be seen running around naked and making sexual gestures.”

Invisible Children’s chief executive Ben Keesey said in a statement: “Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better.

“The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday [Friday]. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue.”

 

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