[Open Letter]
Gen. Yoweri Museveni’s regime has been recruiting and training thousands of Ugandans as “crime preventers” in the run-up to next March’s Presidential elections and many people suspect they will be used as a shock force to terrorize supporters of the opposition before, during and after the vote. The recruits are grownups and young men. A London-based reader was appalled when he saw the pictures of some of the youngest recruits at a “graduating” ceremony posted nine hours ago on Gen. Museveni’s presidential State House Facebook page with the caption “President Museveni having a chat with the young Crime Preventers at Mbale Municipal grounds” and he wrote the following Open Letter to Uganda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Ambassador Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda. (Leaning forward in khaki uniform is Gen. Museveni’s feared Police Chief Gen. Kale Kayihura).
Your Excellency The High Commissioner,
It has come to our attention that the NRM government in Uganda is recruiting under age children into new para-military unit of the recently formed crime preventers.
Could you please enlighten the world about your government’s justification of the recruitment of child soldiers as illustrated in this State house photographic evidence?
We need to get an answer from you before we contact the International Criminal court (ICC).
Thank you,
Major Twaha Mukiibi
