{"id":33232,"date":"2017-03-16T10:48:36","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T10:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/uganda-us-government-joins-calls-for-kasese\/"},"modified":"2017-03-16T10:48:33","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T10:48:33","slug":"uganda-us-government-joins-calls-for-kasese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/uganda-us-government-joins-calls-for-kasese\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda:US government joins calls for Kasese killings inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"

{The US government yesterday backed a call by Human Rights Watch for an international investigation into last November\u2019s killings in Kasese which left more than 100 people dead. }<\/p>\n

The renewed calls for an independent inquiry into the bloodbath, almost immediately, drew a sharp response and another flat refusal by the government to determine if Uganda\u2019s armed forces committed mass murder in Kasese.<\/p>\n

Released yesterday, HRW said in a second report on the killings committed by both the army and police, especially during the raid on the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu\u2019s palace, \u201cwarrant an independent, impartial fact-finding mission with international expertise\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf given unfettered access to witnesses and forensic evidence\u201d, HRW says \u201cindependent experts with a fact-finding mission could determine if the massacre on November 27 should be characterised as a \u201ccrime against humanity\u201d.<\/p>\n

The international NGO was soon joined by the US Embassy which released a statement saying it \u201ctakes note\u201d of HRW\u2019s report and is \u201cdeeply troubled\u201d by the \u201cdisproportionate use of force by security officials\u201d especially the reports that \u201cno effort to remove unarmed people from the compound was done which may have contributed to the death of numerous children\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs noted, previously, the embassy urges government to conduct or permit a fair and independent investigation into this incident in the interest of upholding the rule of law. The Ugandan people deserve a full and factual accounting of the events in Kasese, which government has not yet allowed,\u201d the embassy statement, a copy of which was posted on Ambassador Deborah Malac\u2019s twitter handle, said.<\/p>\n

Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, recently, made a similar call to the European Union (EU) during a closed-door meeting with Mr Koen Vervaeke, the European External Action Service (EEAS) managing director for Africa.<\/p>\n

The rights body has also called for the suspension of army and police officials \u201cbelieved to be most responsible for the killings and other abuses committed during the November violence\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolice spokespeople reported the death toll over the two days as 87, including 16 police. Human Rights Watch found the actual number to be much higher \u2013 at least 55 people, including at least 14 police, killed on November 26, and more than 100, including at least 15 children, during the attack on the palace compound on November 27.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the military spokesman yesterday dismissed the call for an independent investigation into a matter before court as \u201cuntenable for now because it is at odds with the sub judice rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brig. Richard Karemire said Uganda \u201cdoes not lack independent investigative capability\u201d in case such need arises. Gen. Karemire was addressing journalists at the Government Media Centre, shortly after the report became public.<\/p>\n

Without independent investigations, HRW said, the army\u2019s account that the people killed were armed fighters \u201craises more questions than answers, particularly regarding the actual death toll and why there was no effort to remove unarmed people and children from the compound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Maria Burnett, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch said the Kasese killings \u201cwhich killed more people than any single event since the height of the war in Northern Uganda over a decade ago, should not be swept under the carpet.\u201d Ms Burnett said the people of Kasese, some still searching \u201cfor their family members, including children\u201d, \u201cdeserve answers and justice for these gruesome killings\u201d.<\/p>\n

At least 95 people in six sub-counties of Kasese district, including many families of the people killed, were reported to have been interviewed by HRW which also reviewed video and photographs of the events in compiling the report.<\/p>\n

Security forces who took part in the operation in Kasese dismissed any notion of children having been killed during the raid. But the rights body reported that it spoke to 14 families missing 15 children between ages 3 and 14 who were last seen in the palace compound on November 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman Rights Watch found evidence, including accounts by confidential sources and medical personnel who witnessed the events, that security officials had misrepresented the number of people killed and eliminated evidence of the children\u2019s deaths.\u201d <\/p>\n

The call by both the NGO and US government could likely pile more pressure on Kampala in light of earlier attempts by members of the affected community and other human rights defenders in the country to demand for accountability and justice for the victims with international help.<\/p>\n

Last year, a group of mainly opposition MPs from Kasese petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), asking for an investigation into possible atrocities committed by both the army and police. The ICC later issued a statement acknowledging receipt of their petition and promised to reply.<\/p>\n

President Museveni, Maj. Gen Peter Elwelu (the officer who commanded the army units during the palace attack) and Assistant Inspector General of Police Asuman Mugenyi were singled out in the December 9, 2016 petition which government dismissed as \u201cpolitical posturing\u201d. The MPs sought to move the office of the ICC chief prosecutor to commence investigations into the raid on King Charles Mumbere\u2019s palace among other things.<\/p>\n

Quoting the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials which require law enforcement officials, including military units, to apply nonviolent means before resorting to force among other requirements, HRW called for the suspension of the officers who commanded the operation pending investigations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government should promptly investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible in accordance with international standards. The government should protect witnesses and compensate the families of victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rights body, particularly, singled out Maj. Gen. Elwelu who was the face of the joint operation. Gen Elwelu was recently promoted and appointed UPDF\u2019s commander Land Forces. At the time of the killings he was a brigadier.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should be removed from command pending a full investigation, and should not participate in any internationally-supported training, conferences or joint exercises until investigations conclude,\u201d Human Rights Watch said.<\/p>\n

Gen Karemire, however, said the demand to suspend some commanders from their duties \u201cis uncalled for and unacceptable\u201d. <\/p>\n

This report comes after HRW\u2019s 2016 report that was released in January 2017 in which the security forces were accused of carrying out at least 13 extra-judicial killings of people in the Rwenzori region shortly after the February 18, 2016 general elections. In that wider report, the NGO implored Uganda\u2019s international partners to \u201cmaintain a strong demand for accountability, including support for an independent and impartial investigation with international experts\u201d. <\/p>\n

More than 160 people, including the Rwenzuru King, Charles Wesley Mumbere, have been dragged to court on charges including terrorism, aggravated robbery and murder since the incident.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/figure>\n

Source:Daily Nation <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{The US government yesterday backed a call by Human Rights Watch for an international investigation into last November\u2019s killings in Kasese which left more than 100 people dead. } The renewed calls for an independent inquiry into the bloodbath, almost immediately, drew a sharp response and another flat refusal by the government to determine if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[99],"byline":[160],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-33232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-greatlakesnews","byline-theophile-niyitegeka"],"bylines":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"contributors":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"featured_image":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33232\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33232"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=33232"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=33232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}