Bush: Don’t Send Uganda To Somalia

[Karbaash_killa]

The Bush Administration wants to drive remnants of the Islamic Courts Union government from Somalia—the White House is so desperate that it’s anointed Uganda, a country whose army was found liable for serious human rights abuses and is currently being investigated by the ICC, as regional policeman. A U.S. General, William E. "Kip" Ward, met with Uganda's president Feb. 26, to iron details of the Somalia mission, Uganda media reported.

It’s true that Somalis continue to suffer as a consequence of collapse of government there and widespread anarchy. Equally valid are observations that only international intervention –preferably by the African Union – can help restore Somalia. But there are other stellar candidates to lead the mission, including South Africa and Nigeria.

Let’s review the facts with respect to Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni’s legitimacy in power is under a serious cloud. Last year’s Presidential election was compromised with serious allegations that Museveni stole the elections from key challenger Dr. Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). Moreover, Uganda’s own Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the election was flawed; it was by the one-vote majority that Dr. Besigye’s petition to nullify the election results was denied. To begin with, Museveni had used a rubber stamp Parliament to remove constitutionally imposed term limit in order to run.

Secondly, Uganda’s army has failed to bring peace and stability to a large part of the country—northern Uganda. War with the vicious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has lasted 20 years, and nearly 2 million civilians languish under deplorable conditions in camps. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1,000 civilians perish from hunger and diseases in these camps every week. This translates to 52,000 deaths a year: How is this not genocide?

Just this week, Uganda media reported that a new survey shows that as much as 60% of children report being sexually abused. Soldiers have also been pointed as culprits.

But the primary reason why Uganda is not a suitable member for a Somali intervention force is the army's history in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Uganda’s army invaded Congo under the pretence of pursuing anti-Uganda rebels. DRC’s government and international human rights organizations accused Ugandan soldiers and officers of conducting massacres in the DRC and of widespread destruction and plunder.

The DRC case was solid and the Kinshasa government took Uganda to the International Court of Justice (the ICJ, or World Court), which announced its decision in December 2005, ruling that Uganda was liable for $10 billion in damages in the case (Democratic Republic of Congo v. Uganda) please see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uganda/Story/ ... 76,00.html


The court ruled that Uganda's DRC intervention from 1998 to 2003 violated international sovereignty and led to the torture and killing of civilians and the destruction of Congolese villages.


To this date, Uganda has not paid the Congo government a dime or apologized.


Separately, the International Criminal Court –the same ICC that indicted the leaders of the LRA—has been conducting a parallel investigation of the atrocities committed by Uganda’s army, and its allied militias, in the DRC, according to a June 8th, 2006 report in The Wall Street Journal. What if the court returns indictments that include the Ugandan leadership and army commanders?

Does the Bush Administration really want to be seen as cozy to the Uganda regime then? In fact, Uganda may be desperate to participate in the mission as a way to pre-empt the ICC’s current probe.

The Uganda army's mission will be financed by the Bush Administration. Uganda’s army is set to deploy early March—the Democratic Congress, if it has any backbone --and there are many doubters-- must ensure that the US plays no role in this mind-boggling ill-fated participation by Uganda’s army in the Somali mission.


The White House is merely confirming, again, that it doesn’t care about human rights when it comes to Africans.

http://www.blackstarnews.com/?c=135&a=3058

[Ismahan445]

THis is terrible but its our fault because we are allowing them to be in our country. Offcourse, the west don't give a fock about african let alone a Muslim country.

[Karbaash_killa]

Sorry darling but we're not allowing any invaders to be in our country and as much as people here think the ethiopian and ugandez troops are sipping on mango juice on the beach, the reality is there not and their being fired at on every chanve their out seen on sight...

Its just sad to see the "president" call for this intervention from a bunch of monkeys who only know how to rape women... i mean they haven't even succeeded in any missions before this, so how are they going to succeed here.. They went to war torn countries and they left it worse then what it was before they came... infect thousand of women with AIDS....

[RIIGHAYE]

Karbaash, Peacekeeping troops are supplemantary to the TFG forces. This transitional government has accomplished a lot in less than three years. The country now has law and order in every region. There are minor hit and run suicides but the overall picture in Mogadishu is promising and the government is going on with its plans unhindered. It only needs more aid and political support.

[Karbaash_killa]

Riighaye.. your talking to me as if im a 10year old boi who has never been to Somalia..

1. SOmalia is what it use to be during the 90s and the only thing that is different is that this time there are Ethiopian and ugandans in our country.

Somaliland has their own laws... Buntland Has their own laws.... so there goes two thirds of Somalia laws already independent from the TFG...

The southern SOmalia had law set out by UIC.. now that law has been destroyed by forren troops and people are dying on a daily bases from diseases/waring clan faction/somali vs invader clashes..

TFG has no power at ALL..made no progress and its dying by the day..

I have family in the capital .and i know second hand the situations.. so please go to the UK furums and preach that nonsense

Somalia is much worse then what it was last summer and i find it very depressing to have a fellow somali sitting here telling me its looking promising......

[Ismahan445]

[quote="Karbaash_killa"]Sorry darling but we're not allowing any invaders to be in our country and as much as people here think the ethiopian and ugandez troops are sipping on mango juice on the beach, the reality is there not and their being fired at on every chanve their out seen on sight...

Its just sad to see the "president" call for this intervention from a bunch of monkeys who only know how to rape women... i mean they haven't even succeeded in any missions before this, so how are they going to succeed here.. They went to war torn countries and they left it worse then what it was before they came... infect thousand of women with AIDS....[/quote]


I'm right along with you all the way, but under whose request are the AU and the Ethiopians in Somalia? Its our so called gov't. like you said above, they never succeeded in any of their mission before, what makes this want different. And more importantly Somalis don't want them in their country. The thing that is making me angry more than anything, is why is there no Somalis advocating for the right of their helpless countrymen. All the somalis in diaspora are doing is having useless demostration or bunch of old men getting together to talk, only to disagree on everything. The other thing is also when these ppl in diaspora meet they don't meet as somalis, but rather as clan for their clan interest, so how are we going to every agree on anything. Where are the true active, outspoken people of this country? why don't they form an alliance?

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Karbash
You ignore the fact that you WANT it to be worse. You do not WANT the TFG to succeed. You want it to fail. You refuse to acknowledge the fact that neither Ethiopia nor the US will allow and Islamists government to take power in Somalia and that the US and Ethiopia get a vote, whether you like it or not. The ICU or any other Islamically driven ideology will not be allowed to govern Somalia and there is nothing the Somalis can do to change that fact.

[gurey25]

MAC if the US is serious about somalia, it should force the TFG into becoming a more inclusive and viable government.

currently it is a Majerteen government, and no hawiye will see it as valid.

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Gurey
NOBODY is serious about Somalia. The place is a passing thought.

[gurey25]

then TFG should be the least of your concern.

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

It's not my concern. Not in a real sense. More in a passing one. I am moving to Thailand, where the TFG has no influence nor does the ICU.

[Padishah]

Go to hell, Mac Mac.

If we Somali's want brutal Taliban style rule, then its our business, and of no concern to your drooling ape-men Congressman in Washington and their AIPAC Press secretaries, or the Chimp you mistakenly call President, or any other asswipe member of that cancerous joke we call the US of godforsaken bloody A.

Get that through your collective hinies, and maybe you will see a government that might actually see you as some sort of pest to be tolerated, and not something actively opposed.

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Padishah
Maybe I have failed to explain this to you.

The United States and Ethiopia will decide what is and is not OK for governance in Somalia. You can like it, not like it, agree with it, not agree with it..........it just doesn't matter. I am telling you the way things are. Like a physics a professor explaining the laws of physics. There are certain laws of physics I don't like, but they are what they are, my desires not withstanding.

[Padishah]

And you wonder why you're hated so passionately across the Middle East and the Muslim World.

Out of your own mouth, you've just detailed the 60 year modus operandi of the US in the Middle East, which has so endeared us to you all.

But you have the audacity to reduce the effects of the above to Islam. What a joke!

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

"And you wonder why you're hated so passionately across the Middle East and the Muslim World."

I don't wonder at all. I understand the dynamics completely. The actions and the reactions.

"Out of your own mouth, you've just detailed the 60 year modus operandi of the US in the Middle East, which has so endeared us to you all."

Our modus operendi has been the same as all countries, always (we just do it better than others). Our foreign policy is designed to serve the interests of our state. If you know of a state that has a foreign policy which is not designed to serve its interests, let me know what that is.

"But you have the audacity to reduce the effects of the above to Islam. What a joke!"

Islam is the root cause of our current intervention into your internal affairs. You know it, we know it....it's not a secret. Muslims have a world view that believes Islamic political global dominance is its manifest destiny, ordained by God. That is the root cause of the conflict. We can site a million other aggravating factors, but that is the core right now.

I suspect if the Israeli - Palestinian crisis were solved, then this core issue would subside. But, given that Hamas refuses to recognize Israel, I don't see how that issue can be solved at present, regardless of what tact the west takes.