President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Saturday night urged the nation to “Ignore the talk of disappearances,” adding that such was intolerable under the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
Mr Museveni also explained heightened security operations during and after the elections that are now being contested by opposition dissidents at the Supreme Court.
“We brought a distinguished commando unit from Somalia- which had also destroyed ADF rebels. This commando group quickly defeated the terrorists who wanted to disturb elections. They killed some and arrested some of these terrorists,” President Museveni remarked.
Mr Museveni revealed that over 318 suspected ‘domestic terrorists’ have been arrested since November 2020.
“The Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) arrested 177 suspects and they were either granted bail by court or released. 65 other people arrested by CMI are being investigated,” Mr Museveni disclosed in a night address he says was triggered by ‘several’ press reports on mysterious disappearances of citizens.
The president acknowledged that the deployed commandos have arrested other 59 suspected lawbreakers across the country.
“Security people should make this information available to the public so that this talk of disappearance is answered,” said Mr Mueveni before stating, “17 people arrested by security operatives in Mukono City alone have since been released.”
The mounted security operations, he says, have curbed new schemes of criminality that emerged during election season.
Referring to gruesome murders that dotted the country in 2018, Mr Museveni said criminality was orchestrated by elements against Uganda’s progress, and with the aid of a criminal-infiltrated Police.
“Shallow people started killing Muslims and people like Joan Kagezi, Andrew Kaweesi, Mohammed Kirumira, Ibrahim Abiriga, women in Nansana, Entebbe and then the leaflets threatening people with panga attacks,” he said.
Mr Museveni, on the night openly unleashed criticism on some foreigners, particularly the European Union (EU) Parliament after it debated imposing restrictions on some government officials last week.
“I read in the newspapers about the EU Parliament sanctioning some Ugandans from traveling. For anybody to think that Africans are dying to go to Europe is something that shows lack of seriousness,” President Museveni said.
Accusing former president Idi Amin of killing many nationals and being a ‘foreigners’ favorite, he told Ugandans: “When Idi Amin made a coup (1971); he was supported by foreigners but for us straight away after he had announced his coup, we decided to fight him because he couldn’t understand our Pan-African aims. We need state-power to solve problems of Africa not just positions. Ignore foreigners.”
Holding grip on NRM party ideologies, Mr Museveni slammed foreigners saying, “If we had listened to them, we would have made mistakes. Foreigners can lead to a lot of distortions.”