Uganda's Museveni vows to punish corrupt troops
Tuesday, 5 April 2005
Uganda's Museveni vows to punish corrupt troops
KAMPALA, April 4 (Reuters) - Uganda has launched a crackdown on graft in its notoriously corrupt army, with President Yoweri Museveni warning that soldiers who steal will be severely punished, state media said on Monday. Uganda's military has long been plagued by accusations of graft including the looting of Congolese riches, the purchase of unsuitable equipment and senior officers claiming salaries for thousands of non-existent "ghost" soldiers.
Observers fear rampant corruption could undermine the military's ability to ensure security during the country's first multi-party election for two decades next March. "Don't let corruption get into the army. Don't let in the weevils," Museveni told troops at a training centre. "I have heard that there are thieves in the army. I don't want to hear this again. We shall punish them severely. Some of them even steal batteries, fuel from equipment or even money. How unpatriotic!"
Uganda's forces should develop a culture of honesty, patriotism and perfection, the state-owned New Vision paper quoted the former guerrilla leader as saying on Saturday. He was passing out crews to operate new amphibian fighting vehicles.
Uganda's army, which is waging a 19-year-old war against northern rebels, has been accused of leaving civilians there unprotected through the "ghost soldiers" scam, under which top officers are facing courts martial for inflating pay rolls. The botched purchase eight years ago of two "junk" MI-24 helicopter gunships from Belarus for $7 million remains an embarrassment.
Ugandan commanders have also been accused by the United Nations of stealing gold, diamonds and timber after troops entered the Democratic Republic of Congo's many-sided war in 1998. Museveni has come under pressure from donors, whose funding accounts for about half Uganda's budget, to prove he is tough on corruption. He says there are no "untouchables" in the country, and Ugandan military spokesmen point to the "ghost soldiers" probe as proof no one is above the law.
Echoing comments he has often made in the past, Museveni told the troops that the northern Lord's Resistance Army rebels, led by Joseph Kony, were on the verge of defeat, and he said cattle rustlers in Uganda's remote northeast would soon be disarmed. "This is the last warning to those fools. We are preparing a last dose for Kony and those holding illegal guns in Karamoja. We want peace everywhere," he was quoted as saying.
Courtesy of www.alertnet.org
