File photo
By Halima Athumani
KAMPALA, Uganda
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into killings allegedly carried out by Ugandan security forces.
According to the New York-based group, more than 155 people, including at least 15 children, were killed on Nov. 26 and 27 last year in a joint military and police operation.
The killings came during an assault on the palace compound of the Kasese district’s cultural institution in western Uganda. HRW said 14 police had been killed on the second day of the operation.
Police have said 87 were killed, including 16 police officers.
The deaths followed long-standing tensions and violence between the government and the ethnic Bakonzo people of the Rwenzururu kingdom, based in Kasese.
The kingdom was formally recognized by President Yoweri Museveni in October 2009 but the region has seen opposition politicians win a number of elections in recent years, largely due to the Bakonzo’s claims of marginalization.
HRW’s Africa director Maria Burnett said more people were killed in the attack than any single event since the war in northern Uganda more than a decade ago.
Witnesses told HRW they were still looking for missing relatives, including children aged three to 14 years.
One survivor told the group: “We buried our brother quickly but because of all the threats, we still don’t know where his child’s body is. He was just five years old.”
The army denied claims that children had been killed. “There is absolutely no evidence to back this falsehood that children were killed during the operation,” Brig. Richard Karemire said.
More than 180 people have been arrested and charged with offenses such as murder, treason and terrorism. None are members of the police or military and no one has been charged for the killing of the civilians.
Police spokesman Andrew Felix Kaweesi said the shooting by security forces was “lawful because it was necessary to respond to the danger that was posed to them and the law allows us to use excessive force in particular circumstances.”
HRW also called for the suspension of Maj. Gen. Peter Elwelu, who led the attack. He has since been promoted to head the army.
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