KAMPALA; The Ugandan military has condemned its own soldiers who filmed themselves brandishing a human skull and burning a human body in the volatile region of Karamoja in the north east of the country.
In the video which has gone viral on social media, three soldiers and one civilian are seen standing in a bush in what is believed to be Karamoja, brandishing the skull and which they gleefully throw in a flame that is seemingly burning away what looks like a human body. They are in a celebratory mood while excitedly expressing their feelings in a local dialect.
The video caught the eye of a one Janice Kyakundwa who went on twitter to condemn the act before Col. Chris Magezi, the Spokesman of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces’ Land Forces got wind of it.
He issued the following statement on twitter:
“The actions of these villains is reprehensible and does not represent UPDF traditions, professional values, and combat discipline. Their actions breach the UPDF operational code of conduct and the law of war. Therefore, appropriate and decisive action has been instituted against the errant militants.”
He added that the army has nevertheless registered progress in pacifying the region known for its violent cattle rustling.
“UPDF troops conducting operations to curtail the resurgent wave of armed criminals engaged in cattle rustling and murder has gained momentum and is registering tremendous progress: in this past week alone, 13 criminal warriors were put out of action, 8 SMGs and ammunition captured, while over 700 stolen animals were recovered. This is a continuation of sustained operational successes in the region over time,” he revealed.
The UPDF is engaged in a multi-pronged approach with other stakeholders to eliminate armed violence in the region and restore sanity in a population tormented by the current crime wave. The armed criminal enterprise operating in the area and beyond shall be defeated.
On March 21, three Ugandan government employees, including one of the country’s top geologists, and two military personnel were killed by gunmen in the mineral-rich Karamoja region.
“Three geologists from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and two of their military escorts were killed during a mineral mapping mission in Moroto district,” 500km northeast of the capital Kampala, Ugandan 3rd Infantry Division commander Joseph Balikuddembe told AFP.
“Their translator tried to explain to the gunmen their mission in the area but the fighters, probably due to lack of information, opened fire, killing all five of them in cold blood,” he said, adding that the translator had escaped. The victims included one of Uganda’s leading geologists, Richard Kiggwe.
The remote and impoverished region bordering Kenya and South Sudan has been plagued by decades of insecurity, with widespread banditry and inter-clan cattle rustling. In addition to the above, the city has a number of other problems such as the lack of access to water, the lack of access to sanitation and the lack of access to health care.
The Lnad Forces commander General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, promised retaliation: “My Karimojong brothers! We have begged you to stop your life of theft and violence. We have begged you to stop attacking your neighbours in vain. You have refused our pleas! Well, now we are coming and hell’s coming with us,” he wrote on Twitter.
The government has regularly conducted operations, most recently in July 2021, to pacify the region and recover illegal weapons. According to official figures, 170 illegal guns and more than 15,000 stolen cattle have been recovered since last July.
Ugandans took to twitter to allaud the UPDF’s honesty:
JallyMKarungi @Jally_Karungi wrote: The UPDF is the most disciplined army on the continent and these officers don’t really represent the UPDF that the world knows, their actions are very alien to the UPDF and will face the wrath of the court martial. Thanks a lot for coming out on this.
Kemigisha Zoey @kemigishazoey1 tweeted: Errant Military Officers deserve quick action for their actions that breach the UPDF code of Conduct. Ugandans should not dwell on the actions of such officers but focus on the bigger positives of operation usalama ya wote.
Glenor Ayebare @AyebareGlenor condemned the militants:This is a very regrettable incident by these individuals wearing our national colours, they don’t deserve to wear the uniform of our mighty UPDF and we are very sure that the UPDF is going to punish them severely. The UPDF has a zero tolerance to crime by its officers.