Yearbook 2004
Uganda. At the request of Uganda, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague began examining the Christian fundamentalist rebel movement Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). During the 17-year war, the LRA is estimated to have robbed 20,000 children, who were forced to become soldiers or sex slaves. The number of internal refugees due to the LRA ravages increased to 1.6 million in 2004; a doubling of less than a year. According to Doctors Without Borders, the death rate in refugee camps is alarmingly high, especially among children. The total population in Uganda is 45,741,018 people in 2020. The most common causes of death are normally relatively easily cured diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and respiratory problems.
In the LRA’s worst attack of the year, about 200 people were killed in a refugee camp in Barlonya in the northeast in February. The ICC said that special attention would be given to that attack. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the ICC to investigate all parties involved in the conflict. The Ugandan Human Rights Commission supported HRW’s assertion that security forces routinely use torture. A geographically limited ceasefire announced by the government in November paved the way for peace negotiations, but an expected peace agreement on New Year’s Eve went to nothing since the LRA interrupted the negotiations at the last moment.
In January, the government began negotiations with the opposition for a return to multi-party systems. At about the same time, President Yoweri Museveni resigned from the army, which was interpreted as being due to a constitutional change in the presidential election in 2006, when he would otherwise have to resign. As a military, he would also be prohibited from working in a political party.
The Constitutional Court annulled the 2000 referendum that formally abolished the multi-party system. The Court said that the law that made the referendum possible was enforced in a constitutional way in Parliament. The government accused the court of “depriving the people of its power” and appealed to the Supreme Court, which approved the referendum. However, the Supreme Court also found that the referendum law itself was illegal. In December, the Constitutional Court struck again and annulled the law prohibiting political parties from running for election.
December
WFP is forced to reduce support for refugees
December 22nd
Lack of money means that the UN’s food program WFP has to cut food rations and cash subsidies for the more than 1.2 million refugees in Uganda. Reduced international aid, WFP has only raised half the amount needed to help the refugees. The restrictions imposed in Uganda to combat covid-19 have exacerbated the situation for refugees. See cellphoneexplorer.com for Uganda on the trail of the mountain gorillas.
Museveni’s son becomes presidential adviser
December 16th
President Yoweri Museveni appoints his son, Major General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as his special adviser on a reorganization within the top echelons of the army. In the past, there has been much talk that Museveni is preparing his son to be able to take power in Uganda after him.
Uganda wants to close youtube channels
December 15
UCC, the government’s regulatory body for the communications sector, is turning to Google and asking for the closure of 14 YouTube channels. According to the UCC, the channels have contributed to and broadcast from the riots that broke out in November since the presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also the pop star Bobi Wine had been arrested (see November 2020). a coincidence.
Bobi Wine cancels election campaign after shelling
1 December
Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also pop star Bobi Wine, is interrupting his election campaign after his car was shelled and four members of his campaign team injured during an election rally in Kayunga, east of Kampala, when security forces fire tear gas to disperse his supporters. He says he will turn to the election commission to lodge a complaint against this.