Lt. Col. Mayombo Defends Military Intelligence

The Chief of Military Intelligence, Lt. Col. Noble Mayombo, has defended the role of military intelligence in the general set up of security in the country, reports Emmy Allio. Mayombo also denied harassment of former presidential candidate Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye whom he said, while in the country, was not under house arrest and kept his passport. “Ask the local councillors and neighbors of Dr. Besigye on whether they have ever seen suspicious people around his house or whether he reported to the Police of the said harassment,” Mayombo said in a speech on Wednesday night at the Nile Hotel, Kampala. Mayombo refuted local press reports which accused CMI of harassing and beating political opponents. He wondered why about two million of Dr. Besigye’s supporters in the country “are free and going about their business just like before the elections.” He was speaking at a farewell cocktail party hosted by the army in honour of Ms. Barbara Amstad, the outgoing chief delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Uganda. Amstad, who is headed for Kosovo, is handing over to Thomas Merkelback. Present at the ceremony were the army’s acting chief political commissar, Col. Livingstone Katerega, army spokesman Lt. Col. Phinehas Katirima and ICRC officials. Ends