Category: conflict

northern uganda: what no one’s saying

I haven’t talked at all about the Mabira riots, despite the fact that half of every newspaper printed in Uganda in the last two weeks has been dedicated to them. Sorry, 27th Comrade. Didn’t mean to disappoint.

I want to write instead about what no one — absolutely no one — has been talking about: the latest spate of attacks and raids in northern Uganda.

Yesterday a friend from Gulu asked if I’d heard about what happened this month in Attiak: an ambush that left 8 dead and 45 injured. Nope, hadn’t heard about that.

What about the abductions in Paicho? Nope. The attack on a camp in Kitgum? No. Awac? Palaro? No and no.

So I got online today to see what had happened. Turns out, according to both Ugandan and international media, nothing. None of these were reported anywhere. The only thing I could find was a blog entry from a team of Dutch documentary filmmakers that corroborated some of what I’d heard.

I get it, sort of. Negotiations between the government and the LRA are scheduled to resume tomorrow, and reporting increased instability in northern Uganda isn’t the best way to instill faith in the peace process. Still — I’m surprised that no one has picked up on this.

In other news: Somalia’s gone to hell. Oh. And Boris Yeltsin’s dead.

jackfruit of the week: march 22


A hanging Jackfruit
from TravelBlog

Lots of fun things to talk about, post-Gulu/Lira/Apac. Links while I’m getting all of my stories ready:

why i oppose sending ugandan troops to somalia

Last month, Josh at In an African Minute wrote about why he thinks those opposed to sending troops to Somalia are misguided. I don’t think anyone would contest the fact that a stable Somalia is in the best interests of everyone from Somali citizens to the American government. The question, then, is whether or not a Ugandan presence will actually contribute to stabilization.

Josh argues that Ugandan troops will be met with more support than Ethiopians, but so far they’ve been met with bombs and mortars that have already killed or injured almost 30 civilians and two soldiers. The peacekeeping mission is miserably underfunded and understaffed, and several human rights organizations have expressed serious concerns that the operation will be a repeat of Uganda’s intervention in the Congo, during which the UPDF was found to have tortured and killed civilians. An editorial in Friday’s Daily Monitor compared the American anti-terrorism fervor to the Cold War and accused Museveni of “playing this card against terrorism as a tool to help him in his quest for a life presidency.”

Perhaps most importantly, there is no real peace to keep. Though the Ethiopians dispelled the Islamic courts last year, making way for the Transitional Federal Government, insurgents have “vowed to kill the incoming peacekeepers” and have been launching almost daily attacks in Mogadishu, and Eritrea has warned that the presence of Ugandan forces could prompt a full-out war.

In the face of so many contra-indicators, I would argue that those who support Ugandan involvement are the misguided ones.

the united nations of this rap…stuff

The violence in Karamoja is likely the biggest forgotten, neglected part of what has been called the biggest forgotten, neglected humanitarian emergency in the world. Both UPDF soldiers and rebels have been accused of gross human rights violations, drought is sweeping the northeast, and the violence has gotten so bad that the night commuter phenomenon, previously restricted to areas under LRA attack, is spreading to the region.

Amidst it all, there is hope — in the form of a hip-hop duo called the Rocky Boyz Crew. Ugly-Unit and Legless, its two young members, aim to promote unity and reverse negative perceptions of Karamoja through their music.

Another hip-hop artist in Kampala is doing the same thing. Abramz, a rapper and breakdancer, works in Nsambya, Gulu and Mbale to encourage at-risk youth to work together for social change through Breakdance Project Uganda.

I met Abramz at the Global Kimeeza II conference last month, and his passion for both his art and his work made my insides all smooshy (in a good way). If anyone knows how I can get in touch with the Rocky Boyz Crew and beg them to let me hang out with them for a few days, let me know.

Jay-Z may think he’s the UN of this rap shit, but he clearly hasn’t met these guys.

EDIT: Ariaka’s right. “Rebels” is the term the UPDF has applied to armed Karamojong, who some would argue are protecting their land, cattle and/or families against government attacks.

linkathon

Lots of goodies this week. Commenting on them all would take more time than I have, but I want to put them out there for discussion:

  • Country Boi makes an excellent point in his comment on my post about blogging and anonymity. He’s right — blogging is self-publication, which means that you’re never entirely anonymous. Even if you blog under an assumed name and keep personal details off your site, you’re still putting your opinions in the public sphere. This gives anyone license to debate and reference these opinions and anything else you post using your pseudonym, which is exactly what Dennis did in his article — he didn’t connect anyone’s pseudonym with their real name if that name isn’t published in connection with the blog.

    That doesn’t mean I don’t take issue with some other things in the article, of which I’m only going to mention a few: The majority of bloggers do not use pseudonyms (in fact, only 28.7% do, while 92% reveal detailed personal information). Not all comment threads degenerate into snide blame-throwing. Above all: my name is not, nor has it ever been, Jack Fruity.

  • LeftVegDrunk has an brilliant post about obstacles to peace in Uganda. Go. Read. Comment.

  • There’s an all-female peacekeeping unit in Liberia (via Congogirl)

  • Uganda and Southern Sudan are signing a bilateral trade agreement. Way to through more fuel on the fire of the LRA’s complaints.

  • The Daily Monitor’s reporting that the UK planned to assassinate Amin at the 1977 CHOGM. Isn’t that old news?