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Columnists
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Written by Dimas Nkunda
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Wednesday, 28 July 2010 20:07 |
In the lead to the start of the African Union summit here in Kampala, there were indeed things that appeared abnormal. First, because of the bomb attacks and the interest this brought, there was, if you want, too much security. Two security teams that would in the past not even see eye to eye were staying in the same hotel. FBI agents whose bravado and sense of importance you could not miss were sharing a hotel with the advance security team of the Libyan leader, or call him ‘King of Kings.’
Thereafter, the media was awash with the heroics of the Libyan security detail during a fist fight with the Ugandan security. The question to pose then is: why is Gaddafi’s security always in scuffles? In 2006, during a visit to Nigeria, he decided to take with him over 200 security officials. The Nigerian security could not hear of that. They disarmed all of them. They kept the guns and told them they can only retrieve them when they depart. On a visit to France, the attention was on the many young girls who are supposed to remain virgins and trained in combat to protect this man who has refused to graduate from the rank of Colonel. In Uganda the scuffles between Gaddafi’s security and the Uganda presidential guards is nothing new. It is common that when the great leader comes to Uganda, our boys have to train hard to cope with these muscular and mean looking Libyans men (or the girls). The TV pictures were indeed telling and it begs a question as to why Gaddafi thinks he is more insecure than the other 35 leaders who were in Kampala for the summit. Here is some advice to President Gaddafi if he will listen. Please, from now on whether you are on a private visit or state visit, you will have to obey the laws of Uganda. If you think that your women or men can intimidate the security of this country then think again. I thought you heard what General Museveni told the terrorists who finished off many Ugandans in the bomb attacks. He said we cannot be intimidated by anyone. Not even you. We have fought many wars and if you bring your wars into our backyard, you better stand warned. General Museveni has a higher rank than you. A Colonel cannot have better security than a General. If you think you have a well trained security, then you know nothing about Ugandans. We have modernised our means of dealing with any security threat. I am sure you are aware that we have a Kiboko Squad. Next time your security messes up we will call the invisible Kiboko Squad to whip your boys and girls. In case you doubt their potency, just ask the main opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye; he’s well acquainted with this squad, which beats the hell out of him in the full glare of the Uganda Police. For the record, this is the second time that your security has clashed with ours. If you had time to patrol Kampala’s streets you would have noticed the sheer number of security men that are manning the city. At one point I could not even tell which uniform was whose. There is the Riot Police, the Airport Police, the Anti-terrorism Police, the Anti-stock theft Police, which I mistook to be another army. There is the regular police, there is the Traffic Police and then the Special Police Constables. That is just Police. If we go to the army you will be shocked. So Colonel Gaddafi, I know that you like visiting Uganda for obvious reasons, but in the interest of good inter-territorial relations, respect the security of other countries. As you very well know, no Ugandan would think or even dream of ever hurting you. You are too close a relative to the country and we respect that. But in case you doubt, ask your guards who this time around failed to steamroll their way as has always been the norm. I am happy though that this time around you did not troop in your fellow kings to the summit like you did in Addis Ababa in January.
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