forwarded by
=====================================
 -M. Odhiambo Okuom
" The difference between a smart man and a wise man is that a smart man knows what to say, a wise man knows whether or not to say it." - Frank M. Garafola
=====================================
     Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:54:00 -0800 (PST)

  "Our" Unhappy Neighbors

  http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/sam_akaki
/Don_t_we_now_have_unhappy_neighbours_all_around_us.shtml

Don’t we now have unhappy neighbours all around us?

“The neighbour from hell” is the term used in the UK to describe an abusive, arrogant, self-righteous, aggressive, hate-filled, gun-brandishing, drug-peddling, thieving, meddling, rumour-mongering, war-mongering and normally skin-headed brute, who lives in the flat to the left, right, on top, below, behind or across the road.

His only method of resolving a dispute with his family and neighbours is violence. In Uganda, near Munyonyo Resort, a neighbour from hell is tormenting the peace-loving Ayari Min Rwot and family, breaking into their house every week and playing loud music day and night.

Countries too, can and have been neighbours from hell to other nation states unfortunate enough to share common borders. In 1939, Adolf Hitler invaded and occupied Poland then all the neighbouring countries.  It took a World War, and 60 millions lives to get rid of Hitler.

In 1980, Iraq under Saddam Hussein began a bloody eight-year war with Iran, and used chemical weapons.  In 1990 he invaded and occupied Kuwait, and fired scud missiles at Israel. Today, Iraqis are paying a heavy price for Saddam Hussein’s aggression.

In Africa, Uganda has become a dangerous nuisance to all its neighbours in the north, east, south and west. Consider the following documented events:

In the north, in August 1998, Uganda became the only African country to congratulate the US for its cruise missile attacks on El Shifa Pharmaceutical plant, which U.S. said was a disguised “terrorist chemical weapons establishment”. In reality, as a US court has found, the factory was manufacturing Aspirins.

Later, Uganda had the Sudan on the edge by sending 10,000 soldiers deep inside the country allegedly in a search-and-destroy operation against the LRA, albeit with Khartoum’s consent.  Instead, the LRA left the UPDF in Sudan and returned to Uganda where they carried out unprecedented massacres in refugee camps in Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions, killing or wounding tens of thousands of men, women and children.

Since then, Uganda has been peddling the divisive propaganda that it is the policy of the Sudanese government to turn all black Christian Sudanese into Muslims.

In the west, in 1998, Uganda entered the Democratic Republic of Congo, pretending to be pursuing the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.  Instead, our troops occupied and pillaged Congolese natural resources including gold, diamond and timber.

In its October 2002 report, “Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the DRC”, the UN said, “distinct criminal groups linked to the Uganda army have benefited from overlapping micro-conflicts.

The looting that was previously conducted by the army has been replaced with organised systems of embezzlement, tax fraud and extortion by groups and individuals closely linked to Uganda government”.
On December 19, 2005, the International Court of Justice found Uganda guilty of committing war crimes in the DRC, and imposed a hefty compensation fine of $6-10 billion.

In the south west, Uganda first called Rwandese leaders unflattering names then fought them in Kisangani I and II.  In the run-up to the 2001 elections, Uganda labelled Rwanda a “hostile” state for allegedly financing Dr Kizza Besigye’s presidential election bid.  Since then, Uganda has claimed, without providing any conclusive evidence, that Rwanda is training the People’s Redemption Army (PRA), a rebel group that has never stolen an egg or slapped anyone.

In the South, Uganda has stated, categorically, its intention to push for an accelerated East African Federation with Kenya, leaving out Tanzania.
Then last week, Uganda became the first and the only African country to congratulate Mr Mwai Kibaki for winning the disputed presidential election which the EU said was not credible, and the Kenya Election Commission said they did not know who had won.

And this week it was reported that Ugandan-linked gunmen in Kisumu shot dead Raila Odinga’s supporters. Mr Odinga will have noted and interpreted these developments as hostile moves to isolate him and pre-empt any negotiated settlement.

President Museveni’s foreign policy to the north, east, south and west raises many uncomfortable questions. What is the long term implication for having a neighbour in the north, the Sudan, which believes we are the best friend of its powerful foreign enemies bent on dismembering the country?

What does it mean for Uganda to have a neighbour in the west, Congo, to whom we owe $6-10 in compensation for war crimes? Is it prudent to have a neighbour in the south west, Rwanda, our former ally, which intimately knows that we never forgive or forget an injury such as we suffered in Kisangani? Is it not self delusion to believe that Tanzania is amused because we are pushing for an accelerated East African political federation with Kenya, leaving them out?

And what is Mr Odinga, who may have a leading role in the next Kenyan government, and who may have a cousin as president or vice president in the US, thinking about Uganda, which congratulated Kibaki for stealing his victory?  Isn’t Uganda now enclosed in a ring of unhappy neighbours who may one day try to get even?

Sam.akaki aT hotmail dOT com