Photograph — Yahoo images

Over the weekend in Uganda, a clash broke out between Rwenzururu palace guards and police officers when they stormed the palace of Charles Wesley Mumbere, king of the Rwenzururu kingdom, near Uganda’s border with Congo. 87 lives were lost in this clash.

King Charles Mumbere, whose supporters were accused of trying to create a state, was detained after government forces raided his palace in the Rwenzururu region on Saturday and is expected to be charged for murder and inciting violence. Mumbere has denied the cause for secession and has since distanced himself from it. But despite this, authorities have accused his royal guards of training in the mountains beside separatist militia forces to attack government installations.

Clarence Bwambale, Rwenzururu kingdom spokesman, reaffirmed Mumbere’s claim of being not being a part of the plan of secession when he told AFP that they have told the government of their non-involvement in the creation of Yiira.

“We have told the government the kingdom is not involved in the creation of Yiira Republic, which wants to break away [from Uganda], and that the royal guards are not involved,”

This clash has made some human rights groups call for an investigation on what they termed extrajudicial killings but Ugandan interior minister has come out to disclaim it by calling the clash self-defence. He claimed that security forces were attacked and had no other choice than to defend themselves.

Gen Jeje Odong, Uganda’s minister for internal affairs, said, “What happened is a situation of self-defence… What do you do if I come to you, wanting to pierce you with a knife? Do you allow me to do it? Or you try to protect yourself?”

However, Amnesty International’s statement paints a more compelling picture than that of General Jeje Odong. They painted a gruesome picture of what looks like hate killing where people were indiscriminately shot and their bodies dumped.

“The full picture of the weekend’s events is yet to emerge, but there appears to be shocking examples of unlawful killings and a complete disregard for human rights during the arrests… In a shocking display of heavy-handedness, many people appear to have been summarily shot dead and their bodies dumped. Video footage broadcast by Ugandan TV stations showed bodies of young men apparently dumped on river banks and in bushes, and men writhing in pain as they are tossed off pick-up trucks with their hands tied behind their backs,” Abdullahi Halakhe, Amnesty International’s East Africa researcher, said in a statement published on Tuesday.

The Rwenzururu’s struggle to have ‘Yiira state’ which would stretch from Uganda to neighbouring DR Congo began in 1954 by Isaya Mukirane, the father of the present king, Mumbere. Rewenzururu kingdom was a initially a secessionist kingdom, whose main reason of secession at that time was unwillingness to be under control of a heavily imperialist influenced kingdom, Toro. They were recently recognized by President Museveni of Uganda in 2009, but this hasn’t stopped the tension in the state which ranges from land disputes, to bitter divisions over plans to divide up Kasese (a district in the Rwenzori region).

Kule Muranga, Rubirizi District Resident District Commissioner, said the Bakonzo (the people of Rewenzururu kingdom) have committed no crime in demanding for a state. He called this demand lawful as long as people are not killed in the process.

However, their cry for a state, because they still feel marginalised, is understandable, but certainly not to President Museveni who has sternly warned against it. President Museveni said, “Anybody who thinks of dividing our country will not be tolerated. I will work closely with the Kingdom to ensure peace and development.”

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