South Sudan: SPLM/A-IO – Memo (30.09.2019)

South Sudan Opposition Movements – Re: Report by the Head of the UNMISS at the UN Security Council’s 8621st meeting (02.10.2019)

My letter to Gen. Tumwiine on the role the MPs and their investigation of Safe-Houses!

I am a member of parliament, honourable members and I felt hurt when you ashamed the institution of parliament for knocking at peoples gates thinking that its a safe house. I want them to apologise for shaming parliament” – Gen. Elly Tumwiine (Moses Namayo – ‘Gen Tumwine wants MPs to apologise for “invading safe houses”’, Nilepost, 02.10.2019).

Dear Sir, General Elly Tumwiine, Members of Parliament (MP) and the Minister of Security.

I am writing to you, because clearly it is need. For someone being an MP and Minister. You surely need a kind lecture.

I know your arrogant and feels entitled to living lavish and being unquestioned for role in the National Resistance Army war against Milton Obote II government from 1980-86. Since, then you have been in power together with the President. This is public knowledge.

However, I am not writing to you because of your history. I am writing to you, because you need to hear this. I cannot believe I have to write it even, but apparently I do. The Members of Parliament are Representatives of their constituents, they are the Representatives of the citizens. Initially, they are the lawmakers and the ones having oversight of the government, the Republic and secures the state. The Security Organizations are mandated to secure the country for crime, spying and possible insurgency. The army has mandate to secure the territory and safe the Republic, but not to be policing.

Just as I wrote that, I have to be clear, as Representatives of the Citizens, they are there to ensure the citizens are safe and taken care of accordingly to laws. The MPs did their job as an oversight mechanism to see the state of the safe-houses. Because, this is ungazetted safe-houses should be scrutinized and analysed like Nalufenya Prison before its closure. Surely, there is found and litigated violations of laws from the safe-houses, as this has been proven in the Courts. Therefore, the MPs should be allowed to enter and report to the Parliament.

General Tumwiine, you need to understand your place. Your in the mercy of the MPs and the citizens who elected them. They are not your minions or your little civilians. They are the people, who is there to ensure the public safety. Which you are supposed to respect as a Minister and MP in Parliament too. Instead, you want to keep these practices secret and only the survivors and brave enough to speak about it. Get to give a little gist of the acts done by the Security Organization within these ungazetted safe-houses.

Mr. General, your not superior, these practices will be shed lights on, whether you like it or not. Because, the truth will appear eventually, not because you want it, but the reality will be surfaced or leaked. At one point, the acts and the questionable violations done in the mercy of the security agents of the state. Will shed lights on the ones you want to keep a secret.

Still, you should let the citizens and the MPs know what that is done. General Tumwiine you need to understand your part. Because, you got no rights keeping people without warrants, without court rulings or in detention indefinitely. These things needs to be brought to light. We cannot let this be in the darkness. What we already know about these Safe-Houses is grim and bleak parts of humanity, which a state shouldn’t do. However, you want this behind closed doors and forgotten.

What if one day, another regime put you and your family members in a house like this, General? Wouldn’t you like your MP to knock on the door and check if he laws was abided and your rights was preserved? Have you considered that?

General Tumwiine, tides are turning, times are changing. We don’t know tomorrow, that is why we have to make the best of today and try to make tomorrow, even better. Therefore, you should think of the future and what might happen to you. Who is now defending these practices, who says that you cannot end up in similar places?

I am not the one to charge you, I am just the one to make you think and maybe reconsider your approach. General, the MPs should be allowed to enter and do their duty. Just like you have the duty to ensure the Republic is safe and prevent crime. That doesn’t mean, the state shouldn’t allow questions in how it does it.

Time for you to respect others and actually listen to others. It would be helpful.

Best regards

Writer of Minbane

South Sudan: Dr. Lam Akol – Comments – Displaced and Imminserated: The Shiluk of Upper Nile in South Sudan’s civil war, 2014-19 (28.09.2019)

ACTV: Rising Cases of Child Torture in Uganda (30.09.2019)

Opinion: Gazetted injustice with the ban of red berets!

On the gazetted Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) dress code of 18th September 2019, the red berets, which has been associated with the People Power Movement and Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine. It is now banned from wearing them, except if your part of the UPDF. The same with the rest of the attires, which is gazetted.

This is limiting clothing, but also banning a sort of cloth, a headwear, which has been directly the image of the opposition movement. The UPDF again being used politically to ban. Not only is the army used to intimidate and to control the public. They are not only defending the territory of the Republic, but also used as a tool of oppression. That is why, special units of the UPDF have been used to arrest and detain civilian leaders, like even taking the Arua 26 and the Kizza Besigye to Military Court.

Therefore, this is not shocking. This is following a pattern, like when the Interim Order of 5th May 2016 banned all demonstrations and the defiance campaign. In addition, this means that the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) was officially by the state not allowed to demonstrate nor use defiance. That is why we have been here before.

The UPDF is used as a tool this time. To stop people from wearing a certain head-gear. They want to monopolize this headwear. Apparently, they can do that, even after the state known the public and the opposition has used this. This is a direct ban of wearing something of the opposition.

If the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ones running the government wants a multi-party democracy or act like its there. Maybe not ban their gear in general. Because, it proves again, that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his minions in acts won’t a one-party state. That is why he was so reluctant to let go of the movement system in the past. This is a history we cannot forget.

In this instance, it is repetition of the past. The NRM and Museveni uses the state as a oppressive machine. Finds some significant faults with the opposition bans it. That is not new.

This is the red berets, which is now a cardinal sin, unless your part of the UPDF. Together with the other hand-picked attire, which they see fit. We can await the radios to ban Bobi Wine songs, we can await to see more of these issues. Just like the bans of concerts of Bobi Wine too. Therefore, this is following a common pattern.

This is not happening to the DP Block or the UPC for that matter. No, its happens to the Opposition that the President fears. That is why he can use the military, which the militarised politics of the NRM has personalized over the years.

This will be controversial, there will be arrests, the police force will enforce this and we will see an outcry. However, will this show the public how far the NRM does to control them? Is this enough or will laws of draconian acts continue without any actions against it. Will the public accept this and move-on, as the state again tell them how to think, act and how to be?

This is what the NRM does, just another proof. Peace.

Statement of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General David Shearer Briefing to the Security Council on South Sudan, 18 September 2019 (18.09.2019)

Uganda-Rwanda Tensions Part XII: Communique (16.09.2019)

IGAD: Encouraging Progress in South Sudan (12.09.2019)

(September 12, 2019, JUBA, South Sudan) The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is pleased with the positive progress in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.

The face – to – face meeting between H.E President Salva Kiir Mayardit and the First Vice President-Designate, H.E Dr. Riek Machar Teny that resulted in a way forward on pending Security Arrangements issues, is a significant step in the right direction.

“The remaining critical tasks of the agreement can only be completed with unity and compromise. The mood in Juba is very encouraging. It is feasible to form a unity government in November 2019,” said Ambassador Ismail Wais, the Special Envoy of IGAD for South Sudan.

“We call on the non-signatory groups to come in from the cold and join the nation-building and solutions,” Ambassador Wais added.

IGAD reiterates its commitment and support of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

We call on the International Community and the friends of South Sudan to support the positive momentum and expedite their support for the completion of the remaining critical tasks.

IGAD commends President Salva Kiir Mayardit for his leadership to broker a peace deal between the rebels and the government in the Republic of Sudan. It is clear demonstration of the potential role South Sudan can play in the security of the region.

Uganda-Rwanda Tensions XI: Deportation in Respect of 32 Rwandans INV/357/19 (12.09.2019)