Israeli Ambassador tips Uganda on terrorism

By David Lumu

KAMPALA - The Israeli Ambassador to East Africa, Gil Haskel has pledged free consultancy and technical acumen to Uganda and other East African countries on how to combat terrorism.

In an interview at Vision Group’s Urban Television Today morning show, Haskel said that the terror threat within the East African region today, needs concerted regional and international efforts to be sorted out.

Haskel said that, “terrorism is like water” that can easily sneak through the country once it detects a gap.

“There must be international efforts or regional efforts to curb terrorism. One country cannot stop terrorism. It is a big international problem. Terrorism is coming up in East Africa and we are offering consultancy from our experience to combat this terrorism. It cannot be a country-to-country effort; it has to be a regional and international effort,” he said.

Haskel’s terror guide has come at a time when Uganda police has issued fresh terror alerts after a series of bomb blasts in Kenya left some people killed and scores injured.

The police have also issued new guidelines for passengers aboard buses entering Uganda at all border points in the wake of these Kenya terrorist attacks. In July 2010, terrorists killed over 74 people at Kyadondo Rugby Club and Ethiopian village.

“It is very difficult to combat suicide bombers once they penetrate your country,” he said.

Haskel said that he is “very lucky” to be an Ambassador of five countries in the East African bloc—Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. He has stayed in the region for three years.

Haskel describes Uganda as a “very amazing” country that has the potential of “becoming a bread basket for East African and even the world.”

“Uganda can produce all the food that the world needs,” he said, advising that government should come up with ways of storing the “water coming out from the rains to prepare for the drought.”