On June 3, An explosion killed two suspected rebels including a female suicide bomber near a roman cathoric shrine in Munyonyo Uganda On Tuesday morning no other people were reported hurt.
Munyonyo – Crime scene
At the crime scene, one subject (a jogger in a dark hoodie) caught my attention. He’s seen jogging away just before the blast and again after the blast he’s seen heading in the direction of the blast.
I compared his gaits, using software, to the biomechanics of how he moves. Your gait can be as unique as your fingerprint. The jogger seen running up and down is the same person
Democratic systems are a form of institutional structure. Traditionally, they are both philosophically and legally bound to protect the safety of citizens. Yet, increasing security measures and reducing their transparency undermines – or, at the very least, threatens – the democratic nature of governments.
The contradiction between the updf and police after the bomb blast, reduced transparency when it comes to the management of internal security.
What is the purpose of terrorism?
Terrorism generates fear. That is its primary purpose. Attacks serve to make us think twice before we leave the house, to sow suspicion and fear about neighbours and friends who are different to us in some way, to make us question the core of our liberal values.
Terrorist attacks tend to unify and divide at the same time
Paradoxically, terrorist attacks tend to unify and divide at the same time. Just as sorrow and sympathy unite us, fear and anxiety divide us into “us” and “them”. This was never clearer than during the Ugandan bomb attacks in 2010. At least 74 people were killed in the twin bombings in Kampala. The Somali Islamist movement al-Shabab took responsibility for the attack, which left everybody wondering. Many are still healing the wounds on their hearts.
The need for tough terrorism laws
I am among the few individuals who believe that tough terrorism laws are crucial for any country. The passing into law of Uganda’s Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill was yet another cornerstone in the security of this land.
For many people, the bill gave absolute powers to the Inspector General of Police. He was also given express powers to freeze accounts, seize property and funds. Many believe this could help curtail terrorism and other related activities. However, some MPs in opposition to the bill feel that we traded off our civil liberties in the name of countering terrorism.
Uganda was required to pass the amendment to comply with the UN conventions on terrorism financing. Counterterrorism measures in each country vary, but collectively the new laws do the following:
reinforce existing provisions that increase the power of police officials to investigate, detain, and arrest suspects
reduce the due process rights of suspects and limit judicial review
restrict financial transactions and remittances to individuals and entities abroad,require internet companies to provide personal communication information to state officials increase government authority to control internet content
Why we need proactive measures
For a decade now, I have stressed the need for proactive measures to stop terrorism. We cannot wage a “war on terrorism”, yet war itself is terrorism. The first step is to commit to enlightenment.
Sadly, the human race tends to disregard enlightenment as a solution to manage conflict. All too often, our solution is to turn to weapons of mass destruction instead. We need to do away with this perception. And the way we will do this is by changing the mindsets of those poisoned with the terrorist philosophy.
Society requires a new educational principle to get over terrorism. Through quality education and learning, we can impact and transform the younger generation, setting them on the path towards a better future.
“Enlighten the youths” should be the slogan for a long-term option to combat terrorism
“Enlighten the youths” should be the slogan for a long-term option to combat terrorism. If every available resource is spent on creating weapons and deploying troops worldwide to combat terrorism, what is left for the young? These are the very resources we could invest in quality schooling. By throwing money in the wrong direction, we are just digging up one small hole to cover up the other!
Anti-terrorism around the world
Our MPs should appreciate the fact that every country has developed legal laws and regulations, embraced constitutions of government authorities and judicial views that eliminate any kind of terrorist activities and the distribution of terrorist philosophy.
France
In the wake of terrorist activities, the French government tightened its anti-terrorism legislation because of concerns about the growing number of nationals joining radical causes at home and abroad. The legislation included, among others, a travel ban on anyone believed to be travelling to join a terrorist group abroad. The government also created new offences and new punishments for terrorists. The regulations empowered authorities to block websites that “glorify terrorism” without the intervention of a judge.
United Kingdom
In 2013, a British soldier was murdered in London by two British men linked to radical Islam. A report into the attack found that security forces were aware of the two men but said they couldn’t stop them. In 2014, a suite of legislation was introduced as a response. This gave police the power to force internet companies to hand over details that could help identify suspected terrorists and banned British citizens suspected of involvement in terrorist activity abroad from coming back into the country for two years.
Australia
In September 2014, Australian security agencies claimed to have foiled a plot by Islamic extremists to carry out executions in Sydney and Brisbane. The Australian government said it was an example of a growing threat to the country from Islamic radicals affiliated with the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. The new legislation made it a crime to advocate terrorism. It also gave life sentences for those who travelled overseas to engage in hostile activities, made it a crime to travel to or stay in an area designated as “terrorist activity”, and required telecommunications companies to retain customers’ metadata for around two years.
The way forward:
As Uganda tightens her seatbelts on terrorism by toughening the laws, we should also rethink our commitment to immigrants allowing them to pass freely through our borders. While most come to find work and a better life for themselves and their families, they have not been raised in this country, so naturally, their ideals and values are different.
Terrorism’s greatest effects are psychological rather than physical. To fight it, we need to fight back against these psychological tricks.
Terrorism’s greatest effects are psychological rather than physical. It has a way of skewing perceptions, meaning we perceive a bigger menace than actually exists. To fight it, we need to fight back against these psychological tricks. So long as we go on assuming that terrorist attacks are connected and trying to link them to a global extremist threat looming on our doorstep, we misunderstand the unique problems we are facing – and what’s needed to neutralise them.
Richard Musaazi
Digital Forensic Investigator
https://www.richardspi.com
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