Diaspora Ugandans Collect Evidence of Kampala "Massacre" For U.S.

Lt. Musisi, says Ugandans are now collecting evidence from witnesses and survivors of the massacres. Ugandans are also gathering additional evidence, including photographs and video footages shot during the massacres in the capital Kampala

[Global: Africa]

In an interesting strategy to increase pressure on Yoweri Museveni’s regime, a Ugandan who commands a large Diaspora following in the United States is working with individuals and organizations in Uganda to deliver evidence of government culpability in the recent brutal killings of civilians during protests in Kampala.

Ugandan-born US Marine (Reserve), Lieutenant Frank Musisi, who until recently was president of the Uganda North American Association (UNAA), currently on official duties in the UK, revealed this on Saturday, September 19, in an exclusive interview with the Black Star News reporter.

Lt. Musisi, says Ugandans are now collecting evidence from witnesses and survivors of the massacres. Ugandans are also gathering additional evidence, including photographs and video footages shot during the massacres in the capital Kampala; Lt. Musisi says he and colleagues have started cataloguing the information.

He wants the U.S. government to make any further assistance conditional on the outcome of an independent investigation of the killings, as was the case in Kenya in the aftermath of post election violence there.

Separately, Ugandans in the United States will hold a protest against the Yoweri Museveni regime in front of the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday September 23; Museveni will be in New York to address the General Assembly as are other world leaders.

Lt Musisi says in addition to delivering the information to the US Congress, his team will continue to liaison with his counterparts in Britain to deliver a similar data to the UK’s House of Commons.

He said: “You can’t just shoot and kill a person who protests. Nobody can take away anyone’s life in a democracy without it coming to the notice of the [International Criminal Court]; these are basic human rights.”

“The government will have to answer its case to the Western world, especially the USA one of the donor country to Uganda,” Lt. Musisi added.

Lt. Musisi, although a US citizen, frequently travels to Uganda and has deep roots there; it’s the reason why he was elected and served a term as president of the powerful organization, UNAA. So effective was he that the regime actually illegally financed an opposing candidate in this year’s election.

Musisi is now asking any Ugandan with information regarding the massacre in Kampala to forward it so it can be delivered to Uganda’s major donors.

This was in reference to the indiscriminate shooting and killing of unarmed civilians by the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF), Police and other security agencies this month. The protests broke out in the Uganda capital Kampala and other towns mostly in the central region of the country as heavily armed security agents blocked the Buganda Prime Minister who was on his way to Kayunga to finalize the preparations for Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II’s tour to the area, 45 miles north east of Kampala. Mutebi II is the King of Buganda, a kingdom within Uganda.

Museveni’s Central Government claimed that the Banyara, an ethnic group with a population amounting to 2% within Buganda, were opposed to the tour and were threatening violence; whereas 98% of the Kayunga citizens back the Buganda King. Kabaka Mutebi II alleges that Museveni wants to weaken the Kingdom by mobilizing traditional chiefdoms to gang-up against the Kabaka. In furtherance of his divide-and-rule strategy Museveni groomed an army officer, Capt. Baker Kimeze, as a local rival to the Kabaka, Mutebi II’s supporters contend.

“There is no reason why people are being killed when they are just putting up a civil protest,” Musisi added. He noted that the extra-judicial killings, which had decimated the people of Acholi in Uganda had now spread elsewhere in the country.

He also said: “We are going to mobilize people in the US and we want to work with other Ugandans here in the UK as to make an effective contribution and communication.”

Miwambo reports for The Black Star News from Europe. He can be reached via [email protected]  

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