Elisha Z. Bwanika
The United States Embassy in Kampala has joined human rights activists to demand for answers and an establishment of an independent inquiry into the raid and subsequent killings of civilians at the Rwenzururu kingdom palace in Kasese town two years ago.
The raid on November 26 and 27, 2016, by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) under the command of the then Second Division Commander, Brig. Peter Elwelu, left more than 100 people dead.
Brig. Elwelu who was later promoted to Major General and appointed Land Forces commander.
Most of them are believed to have been women and children.
The raid followed what the UPDF said was Charles Wesley Mumbere, the Rwenzururu king’s alleged refusal to hand over the guards whom the army accused of engaging in clandestine activities.
After several houses in the palace enclosure were razed and Mumbere surrounded, he was arrested together with about 160 of his supporters and driven to Jinja where he was charged with several counts of murder and terrorism among others at the Jinja High Court.
Back in Kasese, the army and police, having been stuck with 52 unclaimed bodies for several days, carried out a mass burial at Kihara army barracks, Nyamwabwa Division, Kasese municipality.
According to a message on the embassy’s social media platforms, ‘families of those killed and injured are still waiting for a full and transparent investigation.’
“Those arrested are still waiting for fair and expeditious trials,” the message reads. “All Ugandans are waiting for accountability and justice. How much longer will they wait?”
Earlier, human rights activists demanded accountability.
“There is no reason for the government to prevent an independent inquiry,” Oryem Nyeko, Uganda researcher told Al Jazeera on Monday.
“The government argues that it does not want to interfere with an ongoing legal process. We are calling for accountability for what happened.”
In February 2018, President Museveni donated Shs50m to widows who lost their husbands in the attacks. This according to a Kasese resident and Kingdom loyalist said is the most help they have ever received from the government in two years.
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