Are These the Faces of Evil?

    History is seared into the memories of all those who have witnessed, have experienced, and have suffered through the catastrophic events that have shaped their countries. Sometimes we wonder how such events can ever occur, how someone can let an idea of power get so large in their head that they disregard all human life to attain it. The political history of Uganda is one that truly saddens and appals me. It makes me wonder if any substantial change can ever truly occur in a place so devastated by bloodshed.

    Since the history of Uganda is extensive, I will mention only the events and upheavals that occurred since October 9, 1962, after Uganda gained its independence from Britain under the leadership of Milton Obote, the leader of the coalition sector of the National Assembly. Prior to his leadership Uganda was a centralized state governed by tribal based kingdoms. Like many leaders; however, Obote became hungry for absolute power. This yearning caused him to suspend the constitution present in Uganda at the time, and remove the current vice president from office. In September 1967, Uganda was formed into a republic.
    Armed forces commander, Idi Amin Dada, appreciated this change I am sure, and took it in his own hands to snatch the power away from Obote by expelling him from the country, dissolving the parliament set in place, and tweaking the constitution to give him absolute power and authority. Amin is known to be one of the most gruesome presidents in the world due to the large economic decline he produced, along with the social collapse and massive human rights violations he implemented. In 1978, the International Commissions of Jurists estimated 100,000 or more Ugandan casualties during is 8 year reign of terror, where he targeted anyone who was in support of Obote, primarily the Acholi and Langi ethnic groups. In April 1979, Amin was forced into exile after is attempt to storm into Tanzania was stopped by Tanzanian armed forces, and after they captured Uganda’s capital city, Kampala.
    After this expulsion that resulted in the dishevelment of leadership in Uganda, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed a temporary government and created the National Consultative Commission (NCC). Following this instalment, several leaders were appointed but shortly dismissed and replaced, as their desire for power grew too large. Interestingly enough Obote was re-elected, and his reign proved to be one of the world’s worst periods in history because of the horrible human rights violations and persecutions that occurred. In an attempt to prevent rebellion from the National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yomeri Museveni, Obote ordered his security force to destruct and lay waste to large portions of the Ugandan landscape. This created many of the food production and growth related issues that the poor Ugandans currently must suffer with.
    Obote was expelled for the second time in July 1985, and went into exile in Zambia after Kampala was captured by General Tito Okello, leader of the Acholi troups, who wanted to make the government of Uganda into a military government. Okello created negotiations with Museveni and the NRA and pledged to have improvements in human rights, which he then disregarded as he went on to murder civilians or anyone who was in support of the NRA. In January 1985, the NRA seized control of Kampala and forced Okello to flee to Sudan.
    Museveni and the NRA then formed the National Resistance Movement (NRM) which ensured his sole power over Uganda by limiting the power given to the governments political parties. While elections were held, and most people petitioned against electing Museveni as president, he managed to get win against Kizza Besigye, the Democratic opposition, by creating restrictions, enforcing violence, fraud, and using intimidation tactics to rig his votes. On February 18, 2011, Museveni was re-elected for the forth time.
    It is said that the injustices and abuses of human rights significantly decreased after he was put into power, with greater economic liberations and freedom of the press initiations. As you may have read in one of my previous blogs, freedom of the press in Uganda is not exactly the kind of freedom Canadians experience. The people given the a voice to express are often those corrupted individuals who suffer from prejudices, and the news they freely provide can spark violent uprisings, like the one against gay activist David Kato. I assume these economic liberations are too not in correspondence with our ideas of liberation.
    During this time the Lord Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony, increased its might across the land, as they tried to overthrow the Ugandan government. From 1986 to 2006, until the LRA were final barred from Uganda by the military in 2005, the LRA brutally massacred thousands, and abducted and displaced approximately 1.8 million Uganda’s. Their atrocious, inhumane acts include sexual slavery, mutilation, murder, and kidnapping children in order to turn them into rebel fighters. Today the LRA still exists and reigns havoc in the neighbouring African countries of Sudan and the Congo.

    I do not know if I will ever be able to understand how such atrocities can exist in our world. Maybe they are unexplainable, simple not to be understood in the context that I would like to look at them in. All I can do is hope that one day innocent people will not have to suffer and die due to an individuals bloodthirsty urge for power.


For more information visit:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2963.htm