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UGANDA: Anti‐Asian Demo

UGANDA: Anti‐Asian Demo Protestors resent locating a sugar plantation in part of a forest reserve. On April 12th a peaceful demonstration opposing President Yoweri Museveni 's plan to allow the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd ( SCOUL ), owned jointly by the government and the Ugandan Asian Mehta family, to fell part of the Mabira forest reserve to plant sugar cane, degenerated into a bloody race riot. By the end of the day, three were dead, including an Indian national pulled from his motorbike by the mob and lynched, and many more injured: Asian shops in downtown Kampala were looted: a Hindu temple attacked: and Asians in Kampala and Lugazi, where SCOUL is based, forced to seek police protection. The organisers of the demonstration, for which police permission had been granted, and who included opposition MPs and environmentalist and student group leaders, blamed the trouble on the police for failing to patrol the route properly, which allowed criminal elements to join the march. The police in their turn blamed the demonstrators for trying to depart from the agreed route of the demonstration and for resisting police efforts to marshall them. The President blamed opposition politicians for inciting and orchestrating the violence. There is undoubtedly some truth in all these claims and counter claims. But most worrying is the circumstantial evidence that the main opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change ( FDC ), is actively playing a populist anti‐Asian card. During the 2006 elections there were several occasions when FDC supporters surrounded Asian driven vehicles in traffic jams, rocked them and warned the occupants that when the FDC gained power they would be thrown out of Uganda And on April 17th, much of the violence was led by thugs, believed to have opposition party links, who had come equipped with batons and placards calling for Asians to be expelled or killed. Nevertheless, nobody seems to be very interested in defusing the situation. Museveni continues to declare that his decision to allocate part of the Kabira forest to SCOUL is non‐negotiable. Further, on April 16th, the police arrested the two MPs who organised the demonstration, for incitement to violence and murder, and confined them without access to lawyers for over 24 hours. The police then proceeded to block a perfectly legal press conference opposition MPs had arranged for April 17th to protest at the arrest of their colleagues and roughed up journalists who tried to attend, with the enthusiastic help of pro‐Government vigilantes called kiboko , after the long canes they wield. Central Kampala was locked down again, and the police used live rounds, tear gas and water cannon to disburse MPs and other protesters when they subsequently marched to the Central Police Station. ( Eastern Africa Association, April. ) On/Off Talks With LRA General Salim Saleh has reached an agreement with the Lord's Resistance Army ( LRA ) in the Kenyan town of Mombasa that is likely to lead to a resumption of the stalled Juba peace talks. The one‐week meeting between the government delegation, led by Saleh, and the LRA team, led by Martin Ojul , was organised by the Dutch NGO, Pax Christi and focused on some unresolved issues in the negotiations. One of the obstacles was the failure of the LRA fighters to assemble at Owiny‐Kibul, citing security concerns. “The agreement negotiated by General Saleh takes away that stumbling block to progress in the negotiations, by allowing LRA fighters that were supposed to assemble in Owiny–Kibul to move to the camp in Ri‐Kwangba and join the rest of the LRA forces that are supposed to assemble there. This agreement meets the express request of the LRA leadership,” a statement from Paxi Christi read. On comprehensive solutions to the causes of the rebellion, the meeting agreed on policies to address the marginalisation of the northern and eastern regions. They include provisions in the constitutions to ensure equal opportunities and affirmative action for the north and east and mechanisms that avoid siphoning off funds. The two parties also agreed that traditional institutions such at Mato Oput, Culo Kwor and Kayo Cuk, should be used in the reconciliation of war‐affected individuals and communities.” ( The New Vision, Kampala, 12/4 ) At a meeting on April 14th between the Ugandan delegation and the LRA leaders in Ri‐Kwangba on the Sudan–Democratic Republic of Congo border, the ceasefire, which expired in February, was renewed until the end of June. The two parties also agreed to restart their on‐and‐off peace talks from April 26th in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba. ( IRIN, UN, 16/4 ) Uganda peace talks, however, were suspended shortly after their resumption on April 27th, with the LRA accusing the Kampala government forces of attacking rebel positions in southern Sudan in violation of a ceasefire. In a protest letter to the expanded mediation team, which now includes South Africa , Kenya and Mozambique , led by Southern Sudan Vice‐President Riek Machar , LRA chief negotiator Martin Ojul alleged there had been “repeated and unprovoked attacks on the LRA positions by the Uganda Peoples Defence Force ( UPDF )” since the extension of the truce on April 14th. ( PANA, Kampala, 28/4 ) The two delegations met briefly on April 30th to draw up a programme for the resumption of talks. ( The New Vision, Kampala, 1/5 ) Faint peace hope p. 17019 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series Wiley

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
0001-9844
eISSN
1467-825X
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-825X.2007.00978.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Protestors resent locating a sugar plantation in part of a forest reserve. On April 12th a peaceful demonstration opposing President Yoweri Museveni 's plan to allow the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd ( SCOUL ), owned jointly by the government and the Ugandan Asian Mehta family, to fell part of the Mabira forest reserve to plant sugar cane, degenerated into a bloody race riot. By the end of the day, three were dead, including an Indian national pulled from his motorbike by the mob and lynched, and many more injured: Asian shops in downtown Kampala were looted: a Hindu temple attacked: and Asians in Kampala and Lugazi, where SCOUL is based, forced to seek police protection. The organisers of the demonstration, for which police permission had been granted, and who included opposition MPs and environmentalist and student group leaders, blamed the trouble on the police for failing to patrol the route properly, which allowed criminal elements to join the march. The police in their turn blamed the demonstrators for trying to depart from the agreed route of the demonstration and for resisting police efforts to marshall them. The President blamed opposition politicians for inciting and orchestrating the violence. There is undoubtedly some truth in all these claims and counter claims. But most worrying is the circumstantial evidence that the main opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change ( FDC ), is actively playing a populist anti‐Asian card. During the 2006 elections there were several occasions when FDC supporters surrounded Asian driven vehicles in traffic jams, rocked them and warned the occupants that when the FDC gained power they would be thrown out of Uganda And on April 17th, much of the violence was led by thugs, believed to have opposition party links, who had come equipped with batons and placards calling for Asians to be expelled or killed. Nevertheless, nobody seems to be very interested in defusing the situation. Museveni continues to declare that his decision to allocate part of the Kabira forest to SCOUL is non‐negotiable. Further, on April 16th, the police arrested the two MPs who organised the demonstration, for incitement to violence and murder, and confined them without access to lawyers for over 24 hours. The police then proceeded to block a perfectly legal press conference opposition MPs had arranged for April 17th to protest at the arrest of their colleagues and roughed up journalists who tried to attend, with the enthusiastic help of pro‐Government vigilantes called kiboko , after the long canes they wield. Central Kampala was locked down again, and the police used live rounds, tear gas and water cannon to disburse MPs and other protesters when they subsequently marched to the Central Police Station. ( Eastern Africa Association, April. ) On/Off Talks With LRA General Salim Saleh has reached an agreement with the Lord's Resistance Army ( LRA ) in the Kenyan town of Mombasa that is likely to lead to a resumption of the stalled Juba peace talks. The one‐week meeting between the government delegation, led by Saleh, and the LRA team, led by Martin Ojul , was organised by the Dutch NGO, Pax Christi and focused on some unresolved issues in the negotiations. One of the obstacles was the failure of the LRA fighters to assemble at Owiny‐Kibul, citing security concerns. “The agreement negotiated by General Saleh takes away that stumbling block to progress in the negotiations, by allowing LRA fighters that were supposed to assemble in Owiny–Kibul to move to the camp in Ri‐Kwangba and join the rest of the LRA forces that are supposed to assemble there. This agreement meets the express request of the LRA leadership,” a statement from Paxi Christi read. On comprehensive solutions to the causes of the rebellion, the meeting agreed on policies to address the marginalisation of the northern and eastern regions. They include provisions in the constitutions to ensure equal opportunities and affirmative action for the north and east and mechanisms that avoid siphoning off funds. The two parties also agreed that traditional institutions such at Mato Oput, Culo Kwor and Kayo Cuk, should be used in the reconciliation of war‐affected individuals and communities.” ( The New Vision, Kampala, 12/4 ) At a meeting on April 14th between the Ugandan delegation and the LRA leaders in Ri‐Kwangba on the Sudan–Democratic Republic of Congo border, the ceasefire, which expired in February, was renewed until the end of June. The two parties also agreed to restart their on‐and‐off peace talks from April 26th in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba. ( IRIN, UN, 16/4 ) Uganda peace talks, however, were suspended shortly after their resumption on April 27th, with the LRA accusing the Kampala government forces of attacking rebel positions in southern Sudan in violation of a ceasefire. In a protest letter to the expanded mediation team, which now includes South Africa , Kenya and Mozambique , led by Southern Sudan Vice‐President Riek Machar , LRA chief negotiator Martin Ojul alleged there had been “repeated and unprovoked attacks on the LRA positions by the Uganda Peoples Defence Force ( UPDF )” since the extension of the truce on April 14th. ( PANA, Kampala, 28/4 ) The two delegations met briefly on April 30th to draw up a programme for the resumption of talks. ( The New Vision, Kampala, 1/5 ) Faint peace hope p. 17019

Journal

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural SeriesWiley

Published: May 1, 2007

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