Contents Preface 1 Foreword 5 World Map 16 Chronology 18

Chapter 1: Historical Background on Uganda Chapter Exercises 24 1. Genocide and Persecution in Uganda: An Overview

26

A.B. Kasozi The head of Uganda’s National Council for Higher Education explains that, since Uganda became independent in 1962, its people have endured serious violations and denial of their fundamental human and civil rights. Thousands of Ugandans have lost their lives, and persecution and violence have been a reality of daily life.

2. The Expulsion of Uganda’s Asian Population

31

The Economist A British magazine reports on Ugandan President Idi Amin’s program to force all Asians out of Uganda. Although the program was amended and Asian citizens were not expelled, tens of thousands of Asian ­noncitizens still had to leave.

3. Idi Amin Is a Repressive Ruler

36

Henry A. Kissinger In this 1972 memorandum to the president of the United States, a US government official apprises the president of the current state of affairs in Uganda—including Ugandan ruler Idi Amin’s destruction of leaders of ethnic groups other than his own—and suggests what may or may not happen if he remains in power.

GAPUG-1_FINAL_Pages.indd 5

MASTER

8/28/12 10:52 AM

Project Editor: MB Production Coord: DGB

Copy Editor: EL Proofreader: CB

FINAL Pages

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

4. The Government of Idi Amin Commits Gross Human Rights Violations Whitney Ellsworth

41

In this 1978 testimony to a US Senate subcommittee, the former chairman of Amnesty International details the abuses of human rights in Uganda in 1977 and 1978. The abuses are consistent with the pattern of human rights violations developed in 1971 under Idi Amin’s military government.

5. The Terror and Killings Inflicted by the Army Patrick Moser

50

A US military newspaper reports on the appalling human rights ­situation in Uganda under President Milton Obote, at a time when hundreds of thousands of people in Uganda died at the hands of the army.

6. Resettlement in the Luwero Triangle After Years of Terror Blaine Harden

55

For five years Uganda’s Luwero Triangle was the scene of unprecedented violence from which hundreds of thousands fled. This 1986 newspaper article describes events during that time and reports on the gradual return to the Triangle of thousands of residents.

7. The Renewal of Human Rights Abuse in Uganda Colin Nickerson

61

An international correspondent reports that human rights violations in Uganda have continued under the new government that came to power in 1986.

8. The National Resistance Movement Government’s Failure to Safeguard Human Rights Amnesty International

67

An international human rights organization looks at the human rights record of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Movement government, which came to power in 1986. Although some improvements regarding human rights were made, serious violations were still occurring.

GAPUG-1_FINAL_Pages.indd 6

FINAL Pages

8/28/12 10:52 AM

Project Editor: MB Production Coord: DGB

Copyeditor: EL Proofreader: CB

MASTER

9. Terror in the Name of the Lord Bob Drogin

73

A foreign correspondent reports on the atrocities perpetrated by the Ugandan guerrilla force known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA, made up mostly of abducted children, killed, maimed, raped, and tortured, all in the name of the Lord.

10. An Attack on Homosexuality Saeed Ahmed

81

A CNN editor reports on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill proposed in Uganda. The bill was endorsed by many religious leaders and denounced by human rights groups and others.

Chapter 2: Controversies Surrounding Uganda Chapter Exercises 88 1. Multiple Factors Were at the Root of the Expulsion of Uganda’s Asians Meir Amor

90

An academic argues that the factors leading Ugandan leader Idi Amin to expel noncitizen Asians from Uganda in 1972 went beyond simple economic circumstances. Ethnicity, class antagonism, independence, modern citizenship, and political circumstances also played a part.

2. The British Government Supported Idi Amin’s Brutal Rule Mark Curtis

100

A historian contends that even though the British government knew about Idi Amin’s cruelty, it catered to him and his repressive regime. To further its own economic and political interests, it knowingly excused or ignored Amin’s excesses and flagrant human rights violations.

3. The West Has the Power to Affect Events in Uganda Richard H. Ullman

110

An academic argues that powerful nations would be justified in using their economic might to force the Ugandan government to change the way it treats its subjects. In protest of Uganda’s human rights violations, he maintains, the United States should act unilaterally

GAPUG-1_FINAL_Pages.indd 7

MASTER

8/28/12 10:52 AM

Project Editor: MB Production Coord: DGB

Copy Editor: EL Proofreader: CB

FINAL Pages

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

or collectively with other major purchasers to boycott Uganda’s coffee crop.

4. The Massacres in Uganda in the 1980s Were Committed Largely by the Government and Its Agencies 118 Sabiiti Mutengesa A British university research associate contends that the massacres in Uganda in the 1980s should have been treated as genocide.

5. The Unacknowledged Truths About Persecution and Genocide in Museveni’s Uganda Milton Obote

126

A controversial former Ugandan leader refutes the claims of the international community, the media, and human rights organizations that Uganda is improving under the regime of Yoweri Museveni. He argues that Uganda has been a police state and has committed genocidal acts since 1986.

6. The Causes and Consequences of the War in Northern Uganda Are Many-Sided and Interconnected 134 Ogenga Otunnu An academic asserts that the war in northern Uganda is in part the result of colonial policies and the fact that the postcolonial regime ­inherited a splintered state. The war has destroyed the way of life and the social fabric of the Acholi people.

7. The Abuses of the Lord’s Resistance Army Violate the Principles of International Humanitarian Law Human Rights Watch

143

A human rights group says in this 1997 report that the actions of the Lord’s Resistance Army violate the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. As a result of those actions, children are suffering and northern Uganda is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

8. The International Community Must Act to End the Human Rights Catastrophe in Northern Uganda

GAPUG-1_FINAL_Pages.indd 8

FINAL Pages

153

8/28/12 10:52 AM

Project Editor: MB Production Coord: DGB

Copyeditor: EL Proofreader: CB

MASTER

Olara A. Otunnu A Ugandan diplomat makes the case that genocide is being committed in northern Uganda. Instead of taking action to respond to the crisis, world leaders have chosen to remain silent.

9. The Commission of Inquiry into Violations of Human Rights Failed Joanna R. Quinn

161

A doctoral candidate concludes that the Commission of Inquiry into Violations of Human Rights established in Uganda in 1986 was prevented from doing its job. Constraints and lack of political support kept it from having the influence and impact it should have had.

10. The International Criminal Court Has Contributed to Prospects for Peace in Uganda Nick Grono and Adam O’Brien

168

Two associates of an international nongovernmental organization contend that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has had a major impact on the conflict in northern Uganda. The ICC’s investigations played a role in encouraging and reinforcing a fledgling peace process.

11. The International Criminal Court Is Biased Tim Allen

177

A British university researcher maintains that the International Criminal Court (ICC) intervention in Uganda is not objective. Denial of bias has not been forthcoming, he says, nor has there been any effort by the ICC to raise understanding of what the court is supposed to be doing in Uganda.

Chapter 3: Personal Narratives Chapter Exercises 184 1. A Christian Ugandan Is Persecuted F.K. Sempangi

185

An evangelical Ugandan tells how the Bible classes he and his wife began in their home in 1971 grew into a congregation of thousands. He describes the persecution he and his wife suffered for their religious efforts and what they had to do to escape from Uganda alive.

GAPUG-1_FINAL_Pages.indd 9

MASTER

8/28/12 10:52 AM

Project Editor: MB Production Coord: DGB

Copy Editor: EL Proofreader: CB

FINAL Pages

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

2. An Exile Recalls Incidents of Flight and Terror in Idi Amin’s Uganda Arthur Mwenkanya Katabalwa

190

A Ugandan living in the United Kingdom relates the story of his Indian friend’s expulsion from Uganda in 1972. He goes on to describe his own experiences on the run in Uganda years later.

3. A Child Soldier Escapes to Uganda Faith J.H. McDonnell and Grace Akallo

195

An abducted Ugandan schoolgirl forced to serve in the rebel army shares her struggle to escape from Sudan and return to Uganda.

Glossary 202 Organizations to Contact 205 List of Primary Source Documents 211 For Further Research 215 Index 221

GAPUG-1_FINAL_Pages.indd 10

FINAL Pages

8/28/12 10:52 AM

Project Editor: MB Production Coord: DGB

Copyeditor: EL Proofreader: CB

MASTER