

Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Rwanda Ministry of Foreign Affairs: A Protest Note on Rwandan Soldiers entering Ugandan Territory (25.05.2019)









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“The House has passed a clause in the Road Bill, 2018 that provides for paying of road tolls. The clause provides exemption to presidential convoy, emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire engines and military, police and other security vehicles on emergency duty” (Parliament of Uganda, 14.05.2019).
Well, if you find it expensive or outrages the new toll-roads built by the government. Where the public have to pay down debts as toll to pass. Then, you have one way to get rid of that problem; this is all thanks to the gentleman and nobles at the Parliament. Yesterday, they put a clause, an exemption for the Presidential Convoy. So that the convoy doesn’t need to pay to pass on these roads.
This is opening new possibilities. So, if your driving on the Entebbe Expressway. If you have the time. Just wait until the President and his people is riding pass. So, that you can join the convoy, because who knows whose part of it or not. Especially, if you have a tinted SUV or a White/Black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. You are set for life on this place. You might never have to pay again. Because your naturally part of the Presidential Convoy. Its all magic baby.
That is the gift of the Republic, where his majesty, His Excellency, the Fountain of Honour is blessing his peasants and servants, as they should oblige and follow suit. This meaning, every time they pass by the Convoy. They should dip through traffic and pass into it. Because, no one really knows whose a part of it or not. Except for the snipers, the luggage-cars and whatnot the President needs at all time. Also, a few of his advisors, as he has over a 100 of them to pick off at any moment of time.
That is why, the new way of driving cheaper is to tax into the convoy and drive through the tolls, as that is the way of exemption. Be a leech and a smart pawn. A person who is ruthless and has the ability to blend into the long line of cars, which is all supported by several of police cars, mambas, Special Force Command and an unlucky cousin. So, in that mix, a fellow random gentleman should pass by too. In such a manner, that he also escapes the added tax on the toll roads. That is just fair game. Peace.

Today, we learned that in Buikwe District, the only allowed political activity was the launching of industrial facilities and not a leadership conference. It seems like the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni can open and launch new projects in a district. However, the opposition cannot operate any activity in the same realm. Only the President can act and do what it needs to do. That is why, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) couldn’t hold this in Lugazi Town, as the President was at 6 factories the same day.
This shows the irrational behaviour of the government and the authorities, as the state had to send the Uganda People’s Defence Force aka the army to block a venue and shed tear-gas on the public, as the FDC was only trying to meet their leaders in Lugazi Town. They were not trying to hold a public rally or even procession in town. No, just a leadership conference in the district.
A district where the President was scheduled to be at six places and six factories or industrial facilities. Certainly, the President is such a fragile mind, that he cannot have opposition in the region where his spending time. Because, then the fountain of glory will not be able shed water like a waterfall. His light is dim, when the FDC is around.
It is so dangerous for the state, that the FDC had scheduled meeting at the Paradise Pub in Luagazi Town. That Dr. Kizza Besigye and Partick Oboi Amuriat cannot hold internal meetings, especially when His Excellency is around. Not that it makes a difference his not there, because what the 2019 has shown is that the Police and authorities does what it can to block the venues and leadership conferences of the opposition party. Therefore, it is just amplified with the army intervening today.
But, we have seen the same President sending the Special Force Command (SFC) into Parliament to get his will done. That is why the FDC shouldn’t be surprised that the President orders the army to settle the score in the same district he visits. Because, the President want it calm and easy as he steps on the hollow ground. He doesn’t want a popularity contest. That looks bad for the propaganda released after the visits in the district.
We have seen the President and the Army now really attacking the Opposition. That is why the soldiers was blocking the venue of Paradise Pub and not allowing them. Also, tear-gassing the public for showing up to greet the leadership, which was also illegal. Clearly, the Ugandan Republic the one Republic built for the NRM and the other whose allowed to be prosecuted and be suspended, as the laws to gather or even do internal party organizations are illegal for the other ones. This being the FDC and others. Peace.

This Uganda Police Force and their cadres got some nerve, there another sacred or anything they cannot touch, which the opposition does. This is well-known trick of them. To show-up with plenty of officers and with manpower. To spread fear and try to block an event. Today, the 1st May 2019 was no different in Hoima.
As the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) was holding a leadership conference in Hoima. As they have tried to do across the Republic, with more or less problems. Today, the Police Officers even entered the stage where the Secretariat and Central Leadership of the Party was. As they were already gathered and starting to organize the event itself.
This was a regional meeting of the party with the leaders within the FDC in the region of Hoima. The districts and sub-counties of the region. This should easily happen without any interference, as this is not a big public rally or even concert. That they block even before the public are gathering around the venues. Unless, its the National Resistance Movement (NRM) they can do whatever and get away with it. But the FDC have to ask permission to travel into towns, hold leadership conferences, but the regime itself can just show-up without any trouble. Peace.

Today is a very common day in the Republic of Uganda. Yet another day, where the opposition of the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) are using all law officers and use of the law to purge the opposition.
As this was an insignificant day, the Forum for Democratic Change and their Year of Action Campaign 2019 was hit again. Early in the morning the leadership who was sleeping at the Bethel Hotel was raided by the Police Force. The others who came into town was asked for documentation by the Police Force to enter and to hold meetings. The Police Force had already disowned and blocked their planned rally at Nyakasanga Grounds at 2 PM. As the Inspector General of Police J.M: Okoth-Ochola hadn’t cleared the event, this is the information given by the authorities in Kasese. There was already a few hundred people who had gathered at the stadium, the way the state got them away was with sending an Armoured Personal Carrier (APC), live-bullets and tear-gas to get them away, which they did to disperse them.
While, this is very common. The asking of documentation of entering a town from the central leadership of the opposition and raiding the hotel they were staying at. Shows their intent from the get-go. During the day, the Police also showed up with tear-gas and violence against the public. Since, the FDC was passing through the town.
Even as the authorities claim about the public rally, the FDC leadership of Patrick Amuriat Oboi and Dr. Kizza Besigye was able to enter town and also hold a leadership conference at the Rwenzori International Hotel. Where they held a successful meeting there. But we now know, that the FDC needs visa or permits to travel around. They need documentation to enter somewhere and show reasons for their trips around the Republic. This is what the Police expects of the FDC.
“Kasese: The guns did not stop our supporters from expressing their inherent rights and freedoms even when the coercive instruments of state that should guarantee their enjoyment of these freedoms and rights were busy blocking them! We shall win by DEFIANCE!” (Forum for Democratic Change, 29.04.2019).
We are now seeing, this as yet another purge on the Opposition. They have to meet with live-bullets, military and police force, as they are trying to gather the public. Alas, the FDC is not allowed or cleared to do so. This is just the continuation of the oppression against them. Yet another violent day, as the FDC just tried to continue their internal-party work and also spread their message. Which again has been attacked by the authorities, because they are active and showing resilience. Even, when the state is giving no way and just trying to spread fear. Peace.

On the 3rd April 2019 there was two Americans kidnapped at the Queen Elizabeth National Park. There been speculations about whose behind it and who claimed the ransom for the disappearance of them. The information is still not clear, as both the Security Agencies are keeping information close to their chest. But also, the willingness of adversaries to spell the beans of ill-will of the other party.
As the Uganda-Rwandan tensions continues. That is why I will show supposed intelligence from both Virunga Post and Command1Post, which both are based respectfully in Rwandan and Ugandan hemisphere. They are clear indication of what the different parties believes, plus Daily Monitor explanation of what happened, but we don’t have the whole story.
Here is what we have for now.
“How it Happened: “On Tuesday, at around 5.30pm, Mr Natukunda says he received phone calls from people in the national park informing him that tourists had been abducted. On further inquiry, Mr Natukunda says he was told that about four people in a vehicle had gone on a game drive around Edward Flats (flat area close to Lake Edward) not far from to the Uganda-DR Congo border had been abducted. “I was told by camp (lodge) operators that this was a family of two elderly parents and their daughter; that they had gone to the park without informing the administration of the camp and had no armed escorts,” Mr Natukunda said. He says the normal practice is that tourists go on game drives with armed rangers and guides. “That (driving unaccompanied) was a mistake because going on game drive without security is not the usual practice,” Mr Natukunda stresses. The kidnappers took with them Ms Kimberly and their guide, but left behind her parents, Mr Julius Martin and his wife Barbel. Mr Natukunda speculates that the kidnappers might have decided they did not want to move long distances in the jungles with elderly people, who have limited physical energy, but that their decision could have been informed by a desire to leave the parents behind so that they mobilise the ransom money” (Tumushabe & Kinene, 2019)
Ugandan Unverified information:
“The Rwandans are said to have been travelling in three mini-buses registration numbers UBD 338V, UBA 841D, and UBE 325P. Some did not have clear travel documents, raising suspicion. The regional police commander Rwenzori East Vincent Mwesigye refused to disclose the identities of detained. Mwesigye said their arrest was now a bigger issue that could be handled at senior level. “There is no comment I can give you at the moment,” Mwesigye said. Journalists could hardly be allowed to enter the police station to interview some of the suspects” (Command1Post, 2019)
Rwandan Unverified information:
“Sources who intimated to us revealed a deliberate plan by CMI, which has specifically been cited in facilitating Rwandans to join a rebel outfit in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to train as they continue to prepare to attack and destabilize Rwanda. The recruits are channeled through Uganda with facilitation of CMI to join training bases in DRC, as established by a UN Mapping Report in December last year. “In trying to analyze this scenario, one should not look further than the Kikagati incident where in 2017, a similar number was arrested on the Tanzanian border with Uganda headed for the same training camps,” a source said on condition of anonymity” (…) “Our source further said that by trying to gag the local police that arrested the group, and blocking the media from seeing the suspects, they are deliberately avoiding the Kikagati debacle that was a smack in the face of CMI. Because of the attention the group got, the authorities in Uganda were forced to process them through courts but the case was later bungled and the suspects reportedly released. “The less the world knows about the group, the better for them,” said the source” (Muhumuza, 2019).
We can see that there is conflicting stories, but one thing that combines the two spheres of information. That the Rwandan are claiming to keep it low-key for the sake of the world, while the Ugandan doesn’t want to disclose to much. Which is a nice combo.
However, in this sense, the Security Agencies says this is to be dealt with at the Senior Level, while they are trying to cover-up the connections to groups silently supported by the Ugandan government to destabilize Rwanda. Alas, we don’t know this, because this information is not put into the public.
The states are clearly using their platforms to strike against each other. In this instance, we cannot know what is true or not. Because, the stories aren’t adding up. While the US Tourists is caught in the cross-fire.
Time will tell, what is the real deal, but we are seeing the parties are playing shadow-games with each other. Who knows what is truth at this point, because they are both playing with fire. Peace.
Reference:
Command1Post – ‘Fingers Point At Kigali on American Tourist Kidnap As 40 Rwandans Are Nabbed in National Park’ 05.04.2019, link: https://command1post.com/index.php/2019/04/05/fingers-point-at-kigali-on-american-tourist-kidnap-as-40-rwandans-are-nabbed-in-national-park/
Muhumuza, Alex – ‘Could the Queen Elizabeth National Park tourist kidnap be an inside job by UPDF?’ 06.04.2019, link: https://virungapost.com/could-the-queen-elizabeth-national-park-tourist-kidnap-be-an-inside-job-by-updf/
Tumushabe, Alfred & Kinene, Edson – ‘The slow, tense hunt for kidnapped tourist, guide’ 07.04.2019, Link: https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/The-slow-tense-hunt-kidnapped-tourist-guide/688334-5060092-qfpkvs/index.html