PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has attacked European countries for denying Africa access to their good weapons.
“Many countries in Europe do not want to sell good arms to us. They want us to remain as the Boy-scout movement,†said Museveni while addressing MPs at the International Conference Centre on Monday.
“It may be necessary to develop our own defence industry,†Museveni said, adding that countries such as Israeli were surviving because they were not depending on other countries’ weaponry.
Museveni was explaining factors impeding the military campaign to wipe out the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.
He said the obstacles were inadequate budget and the other was technological.
He said what caused Uganda to purchase the helicopters described, as junk, was reluctance of countries in Europe to sell arms to Africa.
He said even if one had the money, the arms from Europe were not easily available.
Museveni said a number of former British and French colonies collapsed because they lacked strong armies.
“Europeans do not want Africans to have efficient armies. Once the country collapses, they come in to restore order. What is the message? The message is that Africans cannot manage,†Museveni said.
He, however, said the UPDF had acquired more helicopter gunships.
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Museveni Attacks West Over Weapons
