Sexual Assault On Female Opposition Leader, Fatuma, Is Attack On All Ugandans By Museveni Regime

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What has Uganda become under Gen. Museveni?

[Editorial]

What has Gen. Yoweri Museveni turned Uganda into?

Has Uganda become a nation that finds it acceptable for a woman –who could be our mother, our sister, our daughter, our aunt– to be sexually assaulted by Museveni’s police in broad daylight?

Ms. Zaina Fatuma, a leader of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is the victim of a most heinous assault at the hands of state security agents paid for by Ugandan taxpayers.

Her only crime was traveling with party president Dr. Kizza Besigye and other members to address supporters.

The State and dictator Museveni shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this.

Every generation in every country has a moment in history to say “enough is enough.” This is a moment for Ugandans.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a supporter of the FDC.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a supporter of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).

It doesn’t matter whether you are a supporter of the Democratic Party (DP).

It doesn’t matter whether you are a supporter of JEEMA.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a member of the Conservative Party (CP).

And it doesn’t matter whether you are a supporter of Museveni’s own ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

End the national Somnambulance.

Gen. Museveni must be told; no more.

In honor and out of respect for every Ugandan woman; every mother; every daughter; every sister; every aunt.  We have no right to look any woman straight in the eye again unless we all reject what happened to Ms. Fatuma.

Watch the video of the assault seen around the world again if you must. Surely, we can all do better; silence amounts to condoning the sexual assault and humiliation of Ms. Fatuma.

Ms. Fatuma was forcefully undressed; the armed security agents forcefully exposed that what they knew to be most precious, most honored, most respected; her nudity.

The security agents knew what they were doing; they did not undress any of the male supporters and members of the FDC party also arrested. Only the female, Fatuma, was undressed. Her screams and protestations did not help her. The men arrested also were humiliated; against armed security agents they could not protect Ms. Fatuma.

The impunity of the assault, in broad daylight, was meant to send a message to Ugandan women (this is what we’ll do to you if you don’t submit to dictatorship) and to men (this is what we’ll do to your women).

Of course this isn’t the first time sexual assault has been used as a weapon by Gen. Museveni’s security agents. The other high profile incident captured on video was in April 2012 when security agents violently squeezed Ms. Ingrid Turinawe’s breasts while pulling her out of her car; she’s a senior FDC opposition party member and was also going to address supporters. Party leader Dr. Besigye himself has been victim of numerous violent assaults and arrests.

The assault on Ms. Fatuma is only a taste of what’s to come heading into the March 2016 presidential elections.

Gen. Museveni, even with his hand-picked sham “election commission” and his police force under the feared Gen. Kale Kayihura, and the army, and the Special Forces commanded by his son Muhoozi Kaenerugaba, knows he can’t win free-and-fair elections.

He’s been training militias, including the recruitment of pre-teen boys into militias called “crime preventers,” when in fact they will be unleashing the criminal violence.

Gen. Museveni, dictator for 30 years now, and  Gen. Kayihura, the two most powerful men in Uganda both condoned the sexual assault on Ms. Fatuma.

Where is the proof?

The assault was on October 11 and was shown on Ugandan television and the video has circulated widely on social media. Today is October 19 and there’s been no condemnation of the attack by Gen. Museveni and by Gen. Kayihura.

The indignity is an affront to Ms. Janet Museveni as well; wife of Gen. Museveni.

How perverted is it that the same Gen. Museveni will host Pope Francis during a visit to Uganda on November 27?

Will Gen. Museveni’s supporters in the West continue to protect him? The West have become cynical when it comes to human life in Africa; sadly, as a result, many Africans also have devalued the lives of fellow Africans and are more horrified when they see violence committed against non-Africans. Consider this hypothetical scenario: Many Africans would feel more revulsion had Ms. Fatuma been a European woman who faced similar assault at the hands of European police.

Massacres by Uganda’s armed forces in the country and in neighboring Congo and South Sudan, have been tolerated without harming relations between Gen. Museveni’s regime and the West.

The U.S. still trains and equips Uganda’s military.

Yet there is something hard to ignore about the blatant assault on Ms. Fatuma in broad daylight. The regime could, and has always, denied the massacres even when well-documented; but the regime makes it hard for its friends in London and Washington to protect it by assaulting Ms. Fatuma with impunity.

President Barack Obama too has a beloved wife and daughters. David Cameron too has a beloved wife. There are people who love Ms. Fatuma too.

Uganda is more important than one single individual. Gen. Museveni must go so that Uganda can live.

His resignation is long overdue.

Please sign the PETITION demanding that Gen. Museveni resign
 

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