On Tuesday this week, the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) slapped sanctions against Maj Gen Abel Kandiho, the commander of Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) citing personal involvement in the abduction and torture of government critics.
The US government agency designated Gen Kandiho as a person who has been involved in numerous human rights violations and as a result, he was banned from travelling or conducting business in the US.
It’s upon this basis that a group of Makerere University Pan-africanists led by Jeremiah Birunji Kamurali have threatened to throw a strike to the US embassy in Uganda in demand of removal of Sanctions against Gen. Kandiho.
While he addressed the press at Makerere University on Friday, Kamurali said that Gen. Kandiho has for a long time been a very good peace maker and it’s from that background that as Pan-Africansts, they won’t sit and just watch on.
“This is a preacuser to the public that we are taking a peaceful demonstration on Monday as early as 9 am holding precards to inform the US government that we are not happy with their intentions to disrupt our sovereignty,” he said.
“If they can’t lift these sanctions, we want to tell them to take away their ambasodeor and Army detach and if they fail to, they won’t like it,” he added.
Kamurali urged that Uganda is a sovereign country with well protected boundaries noting that there’s no need for the western world to engage in her affairs.
“We don’t have Quntanum Bay in Uganda but America has, if they were genuine master minders of peace they wouldn’t have the Quntanum Bay,” he said adding that the American government and it’s people should concentrate on their fighting irregularities such as racism and homosexuality.
Kenneth Musigyire also a Panafricanist said that such unrealistic sanctions by the western world are a sign of neocolonialism which shouldn’t be tolerated.
“When America tries to sanction our hero who has stood a test of time in fighting criminality and terrorism, then they are promoting terrorism, why can’t they put sanctions on those that abuse black Americans!?,” he said.
Dominic Mwesigwa, also a Pan-African and student of Makerere University said that the American government should be ‘wise enough’ and realise that her neocolonialism has a very huge negative impact on her relations with most countries.
“These continued sanctions will have very many negative social and economic effects on relations of the US and other countries,” he said.
These say Uganda has continuously fought criminality and terrorism through gallant soldiers like Kandiho as an initiative of ensuring more investments and by these sanctions, Americans don’t wish good for African countries like Uganda.
“We’re saying in order to keep in concord, let them not intervene in affairs of the African people at large, we are all independent,” said Mwesigwa.
Rose Kiconco, also a Pan-African and Makerere University student said that the US should put emphasis on irregularities within America other than extending their neocolonialism.
“We’re sovereign and independent and no intervention by Americans in affairs of our peaceful Uganda should be tolerated rather they should concentrate on fighting racism in their own country,” she said.
UPDF spokesperson, Brig Flavia Byekwaso on Tuesday issued a statement confirming that OFAC has notified them of Gen Kandiho interdiction, but described the move as unfair since he was not accorded a fair hearing.
