Do not politicise UPDF Somalia Mission
ON May 16, a roadside bomb in Hamr-Weyn, near the old sea port in the suburbs of Mogadishu, exploded killing four Ugandan peace-keepers on patrol and injured six others.
By Lt. Chris Magezi
ON May 16, a roadside bomb in Hamr-Weyn, near the old sea port in the suburbs of Mogadishu, exploded killing four Ugandan peace-keepers on patrol and injured six others.
The dead soldiers, Privates Fredrick Wanda of Kamuli and Osbert Tugume of Bushenyi, were buried on May 20. Privates Julius Peter Ongu was buried in Omot, Pader district, while Ojok Kilama Lagole was buried in Awach, Gulu district on May 21. They were, of course, all buried with befitting military honours.
The death of our comrades, while on international and Pan- African duty, is surely a blow to the family of the UPDF and we can only pray to the Almighty to give strength to their families, who are devastated by the demise of their gallant sons.
Our only consolation though is that these heroes did not die in vain. The spirit in which they died will be carried on by the survivors, and indeed the entire UPDF.
However, during the burial of Pte Ojok Kilama Lagole, 40, who was survived by three wives and four children, some of us were taken aback when the burial was turned into a political rally of sorts. Some selfish people will stop at nothing to make political capital, even at funerals.
The next of kin, Walter Ocan, 43, buoyed by the LC3 chairman, David Ochora and the area LC5 councillor, Damisco Akena, all of the FDC party, strongly castigated the UPDF and the Government for deploying their son to be killed in a “foreign†land.
The family members were very bitter, had mean-looking faces as if they wanted to kill any UPDF soldier present. They reasoned that their children were recruited to serve in Uganda and not anywhere else. They further threatened to stop their children from joining the UPDF if the army did not stop taking them to “foreign†lands to die.
The burial of Pte Kilama coincided with the killing of an elderly woman, Erjjina Aree, 65. She was killed by two UPDF sentries in a mango forest 200 metres from the IDP camp at 3:00am.
Aree had earlier in the day been attending a funeral in the camp, but allegedly drank a lot of waragi in the process. She lost her way and ended up in the bushes and in the firing arc of the sentries and was shot dead. If this report is true, and no one has disputed it, one is left to wonder what else these soldiers could have done given the circumstances and the LRA threat to our people.
One would have, therefore, thought they were riding on these emotions, which unfortunately was not the case. But there is more to the likes of Ocan. While viewing the body of his brother, he left mourners bewildered when he extraordinarily examined the corpse.
The area MP, Reagan Okumu, while coordinating the burial arrangements on behalf of the family, inquired whether the UPDF would be making any speeches! Were speeches part of the burial arrangements?
In a speech read by Sylvester Obol, his political assistant, Okumu issued an ultimatum for all emoluments of the deceased to be paid by the UPDF within two weeks. His mission to inflame people’s feelings against the UPDF and the Government had been accomplished.
Did they deliberately or ignorantly fail to recognise Uganda’s stake in regional and international peace-keeping missions and security?
Did they forget the UPDF was in Somalia with the approval of Parliament, of which Okumu is a member?
What was the difference of a Ugandan dying at the hands of Kony and Al-Qaeda terrorists in Somalia? More Ugandans, especially the Acholi, have suffered at the hands of the LRA supported by fundamentalists from Sudan. Somalia has also been a fertile source of arms for the Karimojong cattle rustlers.
What should the people of Bugisu, Teso, Lango and some parts of Acholi, who have been terrorised by these criminals, say? Ugandans had better be wary of politicians who sow seeds of discord and divisionism while keeping their families and themselves at a distance.
People need honesty and objectivity from their leaders. A successful Somalia means a successful Uganda and Africa.
The writer is the UPDF’s
northern region spokesman/PRO Gulu
ON May 16, a roadside bomb in Hamr-Weyn, near the old sea port in the suburbs of Mogadishu, exploded killing four Ugandan peace-keepers on patrol and injured six others.
The dead soldiers, Privates Fredrick Wanda of Kamuli and Osbert Tugume of Bushenyi, were buried on May 20. Privates Julius Peter Ongu was buried in Omot, Pader district, while Ojok Kilama Lagole was buried in Awach, Gulu district on May 21. They were, of course, all buried with befitting military honours.
The death of our comrades, while on international and Pan- African duty, is surely a blow to the family of the UPDF and we can only pray to the Almighty to give strength to their families, who are devastated by the demise of their gallant sons.
Our only consolation though is that these heroes did not die in vain. The spirit in which they died will be carried on by the survivors, and indeed the entire UPDF.
However, during the burial of Pte Ojok Kilama Lagole, 40, who was survived by three wives and four children, some of us were taken aback when the burial was turned into a political rally of sorts. Some selfish people will stop at nothing to make political capital, even at funerals.
The next of kin, Walter Ocan, 43, buoyed by the LC3 chairman, David Ochora and the area LC5 councillor, Damisco Akena, all of the FDC party, strongly castigated the UPDF and the Government for deploying their son to be killed in a “foreign†land.
The family members were very bitter, had mean-looking faces as if they wanted to kill any UPDF soldier present. They reasoned that their children were recruited to serve in Uganda and not anywhere else. They further threatened to stop their children from joining the UPDF if the army did not stop taking them to “foreign†lands to die.
The burial of Pte Kilama coincided with the killing of an elderly woman, Erjjina Aree, 65. She was killed by two UPDF sentries in a mango forest 200 metres from the IDP camp at 3:00am.
Aree had earlier in the day been attending a funeral in the camp, but allegedly drank a lot of waragi in the process. She lost her way and ended up in the bushes and in the firing arc of the sentries and was shot dead. If this report is true, and no one has disputed it, one is left to wonder what else these soldiers could have done given the circumstances and the LRA threat to our people.
One would have, therefore, thought they were riding on these emotions, which unfortunately was not the case. But there is more to the likes of Ocan. While viewing the body of his brother, he left mourners bewildered when he extraordinarily examined the corpse.
The area MP, Reagan Okumu, while coordinating the burial arrangements on behalf of the family, inquired whether the UPDF would be making any speeches! Were speeches part of the burial arrangements?
In a speech read by Sylvester Obol, his political assistant, Okumu issued an ultimatum for all emoluments of the deceased to be paid by the UPDF within two weeks. His mission to inflame people’s feelings against the UPDF and the Government had been accomplished.
Did they deliberately or ignorantly fail to recognise Uganda’s stake in regional and international peace-keeping missions and security?
Did they forget the UPDF was in Somalia with the approval of Parliament, of which Okumu is a member?
What was the difference of a Ugandan dying at the hands of Kony and Al-Qaeda terrorists in Somalia? More Ugandans, especially the Acholi, have suffered at the hands of the LRA supported by fundamentalists from Sudan. Somalia has also been a fertile source of arms for the Karimojong cattle rustlers.
What should the people of Bugisu, Teso, Lango and some parts of Acholi, who have been terrorised by these criminals, say? Ugandans had better be wary of politicians who sow seeds of discord and divisionism while keeping their families and themselves at a distance.
People need honesty and objectivity from their leaders. A successful Somalia means a successful Uganda and Africa.
The writer is the UPDF’s
northern region spokesman/PRO Gulu