An ICC mission to investigate the massacres of civilians in Iturivwill be soon set.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda announces the deployment of a mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to investigate the massacres of civilians in Ituri province.

In a statement issued Thursday, 04 June, Bensouda is deeply concerned about the numerous reports of the rise of serious violence in Ituri, especially in the territories of Djugu and Mahagi.

" credible information shows many armed attacks against the civil population. These attacks have escalated in several Ituri territories over the past few months. This same information also reports repeated attacks on internal internally displaced persons camps and targeted communities... These acts could be crimes within the International Criminal Court ", said Fatou Bensouda.

At the same time, the prosecutor of the ICC encourages the competent authorities of the DRC, in accordance with the principle of complementarity which is at the heart of the Rome Statute and which gives States parties the primary responsibility to continue and judge, to intensify their efforts for real investigations to be carried out.

Ms. Bensouda said that her Office would intensify contacts with the Congolese authorities to strengthen the work already begun to map incidents potentially falling within the competence of the ICC and to exchange with authorities on urgent measures to be taken, especially in the framework of the treatment of priority cases by Congolese justice.

It calls on all armed groups and all parties to stop all attacks, especially against the civil population, and refrain from using any criminal violence in violation of the Rome Statute of the ICC.

In this week alone,16 more civilians were killed in ituri!!God has heard our prayers,and next should be minembwe but minembwe has some complex issues and a cobweb network of those who instigate the killings there!

See this:https://acidicsecurity.blogspot.com/2020/06/catholic-bishop-of-bunia-bitter-on.html?m=1

See:https://acidicsecurity.blogspot.com/2020/06/adf-base-installation-in-ituridrc-army.html?m=1

NRAHEROES :GEN MATAYO KYALIGONZA R0/00034

In his book, The Agony of Power, Kyaligonza says he first joined military service during former President Idi Amin’s regime. He worked then in the State Research Bureau, Amin’s dreaded security agency, until 1974.

Kyaligonza abandoned his job after his boss, Col. Kakuhikire, was abducted and killed by the regime he served. Fearing for his own life, Kaligonza joined a rebel group called Save Uganda Movement (SUM), one of the groups that fought Amin. After Amin’s fall in 1979, Kyaligonza joined the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), a small political party led by Yoweri Museveni that contested for leadership in the 1980 general elections.

Museveni had warned during the campaigns that if elections were rigged, he would go to the bush—a position that Kyaligonza, then a member of the UPM Hoima District executive committee, supported.

So on December 13, 1980, Kyaligonza met Museveni and proposed to him the role he wanted to play after the war started. Museveni briefed Kyaligonza on how he planned to start the war against Obote’s government. The official launch would be an attack on Kabamba Barracks. Kyaligonza, together with Capt. Nkwanga, had stolen and hidden about 30 guns which he offered to use during the attack Kabamba.

Unfortunately, by the time he went to recover the hidden guns, Nkwanga had handed them over to Dr. Andrew Lutakome Kayiira, a leader of another rebel group, UFA, which also fought Obote.

Because Kyaligonza had his own guns, and was working with Nkwanga, some veterans have told us that it appears he planned to form his own rebel group. But Kyaligonza writes that he was involved in recruiting fighters for the NRA together with Gen. Elly Tumwine, the late Sam Magara and Brig. Andrew Lutaaya. Some of the fighters he recruited turned out to be great fighters such as Col. Ahmed Kashilingi, Col. Samson Mande, Col. Patrick Lumumba, Lt. Col. Jet Mwebaze (RIP), Col. Geoffrey Taban, and Brig. John Mugume.

URBAN TERRORISM

After the famous attack on Kabamba Barracks on February 6 1981, which effectively announced the start of the bush-war, the unsuccessful guerrillas headed to Kiboga to hide.This was because their lives were in danger as UNLA troops were now pursuing them. While the rest, including rebel leader, Yoweri Museveni walked to Kiboga, Kyaligonza headed to a different direction—Mukon

o.

His real mission was to stage ambushes immediately as a diversionary tactic. His main task was to divert attention from Museveni’s group which numbered just about 50 men.

In Mukono, one of his recruits, Col. Kashilingi, became his deputy and together, they planned terror attacks in and around Kampala.

Kyaligonza writes in his book that they started with one and a half gun—an SMG and a pistol. Their first successful raid was on May 21, 1981 when they attacked Kisoga Police Post at night using stones. They stole seven guns and Police uniforms. These were added to the four rifles they had gotten earlier, after killing government soldiers on patrol on April 13 of the same year.

On June 3, they raided Ngogwe Police post in Buikwe, Mukono, and stole 11 guns. But not everything went according to plan. The government soldiers once raided and scattered the Kyaligonza group around Namugongo areas. Fighters who worked with him say that Kyaligonza ran to Kasangati.

From Kasangati, Kyaligonza joined the main NRA force in Matugga. And after regrouping the scattered fighters, Kashilingi also followed Kyaligonza to the bush.

It was around this time that Museveni returned from Libya after a sixth-month break from the bush. The regrouping Kyaligonza fighters came to Museveni’s rescue when UNLA soldiers detected his movements and started pursuing him.To divert the pursuers, Museveni asked Kyaligonza to attack an army detach at Mpoma Earth Satellite, which mission he carried out with two of his fearless commanders; Samson Mande and Patrick Lumumba.

When NRA grew in numbers to about 200, it was re-organised into six zonal units.It is during this second major re-organisation that Kyaligonza formerly started playing his role as commander. In January 1982, the NRA underwent another re-organisation, splitting into more units. Museveni did this after summoning all zonal commanders to the headquarters. Kyaligonza’s Mwanga zonal force was named Task Force or Black Bomber. The late Patrick Lumumba was appointed his deputy. Col. Samson Mande was a platoon commander in this group. By his own admission, Kyaligonza made Kampala unsafe by throwing bombs at Police and army encampments.

Kyaligonza’s Black Bombers that comprised about 50 rebels at the beginning slowed down the economy because people in Kampala were closing shops at 3.00p.m.Being the commander of this terror outfit, Kyaligonza says his inner conscience felt condemned to death because he and his men were operating “just a breath away from the enemy stronghold.”

Indeed at one time UNLA soldiers captured Kyaligonza when he was still operating in Mukono. He was taken to [Maj. Gen.] Bazilio Okello who was based at Colline Hotel. A UNLA sergeant called Tamale is the one who captured him and handed him over to Maj. Isoga. This major was apparently not happy with the way junior soldiers had roughed up Kyaligonza. May be he wanted him handled properly so that he could reveal NRA secrets. The major jumped off his chair and began boxing his junior and in the scuffle that ensued, Kyaligonza fled.

Kyaligonza was captured again in 1983 while sneaking back into the country from a visit to Liberia where he had gone with Andrew Lutaaya to ask for arms. He was arrested at the Busia border and briefly detained in Tororo Barracks before he was transferred to the dreaded Nile Mansion in Kampala. Oyite Ojok, the UNLA Chief of Staff, was supposed to interrogate this senior rebel.

He says he was held in Room 211. Although handcuffed, Kyaligonza in commando style says he tied bed sheets onto the window and used them to climb and jump to the ground. He walked to Muyenga where his wife helped him remove the handcuffs. Then he walked straight back to Luwero to resume fighting.

Because his main role was to carry out terrorism in urban areas, Kyaligonza says that at one time he wanted to attack foreign missions but was restrained by Museveni. His most memorable operation as commander of the 7th battalion took place in 1985 at Matugga as the bush war drew to a close. The target was an army detach in the area. The reason Kyaligonza remembers this incident and writes about it in his book is because, except for one soldier killed when a truck failed to stop, they managed to disarm the rest without having to harm anybody.

In the end, the Kyaligonza unit, according to his book, captured 161 guns, 17 pistols, 3,000 SMG bullets, 27 anti-tank shells, 16 RPG shells, 2 Bazooka shells, 1 RPG launcher, etc. Kyaligonza says this was his most daring operation during the 5-year bush war. When the march towards Kampala began, Kyaligonza’s battalion ambushed the UNLA soldiers at Katende on Kampala-Masaka Highway.

Kyaligonza’s battalion fought in the areas of Mpigi and Kibibi before it eventually approached Kampala from Hoima Road. His force attacked and captured Makindye Barracks, among other assignments.

After the fall of Kampala, Kyaligonza’s 7th, Chefe Ali’s 11th and Pecos Kutesa’s 1st battalions took the fighting to eastern Uganda, capturing Jinja along the way before proceeding to Tororo.

After another re-organisation occasioned by the growth in numbers,he was deployed in Teso areas to deal with cattle rustling.

Kyaligonza was elected CA delegate for Buhaguzi County in Hoima District. After CA, he stood for Parliament and got elected, representing the same constituency in the 6th Parliament. He however lost the seat when he tried to join the 7th Parliament.

President Museveni then appointed him Ambassador to Kenya before he was transferred to Burundi recently. He is also NRM Vice Chairman western region

Typing “racist” into Twitter’s people search yielded US President Donald Trump as the first suggested account on Wednesday

Typing “racist” into Twitter’s people search yielded US President Donald Trump as the first suggested account on Wednesday, the British news outlet The Independent first reported.

Although the social media platform has not made any statements regarding the development, it’s speculated that many of Trump’s critics are labeling him as a racist given the current political climate in the US following the recent killing of unarmed African-American man George Floyd.

Amid the widespread US protests against police brutality, one of Trump’s tweets was flagged by the social media platform for “glorifying violence.” In the May 29 post , Trump said that “thugs” are “dishonoring the memory of George Floyd.” He also wrote that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

In a statement to AFP, Greg Sterling, a contributing editor at the website Search Engine Land, said the Twitter search result may indicate that "so many people are using the words 'racist' or 'racism' to respond to or describe Donald Trump, or there's a concerted effort to associate Trump's account with those terms."

However, it’s also possible that many Trump supporters trying to defend the president from accusations of racism may also be using the term “racist” in their replies.

Sterling also noted to AFP that Twitter’s ranking algorithm for tweets "uses a variety of signals, including how recently the tweet was published, its relevance (personalization), user engagement with the tweet, the presence of rich media (such as video or images) and several other variables.”

The analyst also pointed out that in 2007, so-called “Google bombing” was used to manipulate Google search results so that then-US President George W. Bush was directly linked to the term “miserable failure.”

According to WordStream, Google bombing is “aimed at increasing a webpage's rank for a specific Google search by exploiting its algorithm. Google bombing generally involves artificially inflating the number of pages that link to a page and the words used in the link's anchor text.”

Kjerstin Thorson, a Michigan State University politics and social media professor, told AFP that a more comprehensive analysis is necessary to determine why Trump was being associated with racism on Twitter, but noted that “it's not unlikely this could be an accurate representation of what people are saying" on the social media site.

"The platforms have gone out of their way to avoid any appearance of bias," she added.

Tensions between Twitter and Trump have been high in recent weeks. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has defended his platform's recent decision to fact-check Trump’s tweets ahead of the US elections in November. Trump, in response, signed an executive order last week intended to weaken a law that prevents people from suing social media platforms over content posted by their users.

NRA_HEROES: LT.COL SAM KATABARWA (RIP) R0/00021

Katabarwa, one of the commonest names in revolutionary songs. In Sowing the Mustard Seed, it is said Katabarwa, who had trained at Monduli, had been working with the external committee in Nairobi when he was contacted by an official in the Obote government, around 1985 proposing peace talks.

He was betrayed while following up this contact and was arrested and murdered in 1985

NRAHEROES: MAJ AHMED SEGUYA ( RIP) R0/00011

He was the first commander of the National Resistance Army and died of stomach ailment at the start of the 1981-86 war. His body was preserved by collaborating doctors at Mulago until 1990 nearly10 years after he died, when he was buried with full honours.

NRAHEROES: Lt. JOY MIREMBE R0/00029 ( RIP

She died in 1982 during childbirth in the bush. She was the wife of a prison warder. She is remembered as having been involved in the armed struggle since the 1970s.

Joy was also an NRC member in 1981. Being the first woman in the bush, she inducted the new women into bush life. She was also a competent recruiter, having recruited the likes of Lt Col Ahmed Kashillingi.

NRAHEROES : GEN EMMANUEL FRED GISA RWIGYEMA (RIP) R0/00015

Rwigema was born on 10th April, 1957 in Gitarama, in the south of Rwanda. Considered a Tutsi, in 1960 he and his family fled to Uganda and settled in a refugee camp in Nshungerezi, Ankole following the Hutu Revolution of 1959 and the ouster of King Kigeli

After finishing high school in 1976, he went to Tanzania and joined FRONASA, a rebel group headed by Yoweri Museveni. It was at this point that he began calling himself Fred Rwigema.

Later that year, he traveled to Mozambique and joined the FRELIMO rebels who were fighting for the liberation of Mozambique from Portugal's colonial power.

In 1979, he joined the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), which together with Tanzanian armed forces captured Kampala in 1979 and sent Idi Amin into exile.

He later joined NRA, which fought a guerrilla against the government of Milton Obote. It was here that Rwigyema first fought alongside a number of future RPF leaders including Rwandan president Paul Kagame, Patrick Karegeya, and Kayumba Nyamwasa. Fred Rwigyema was the commander of the western axis

After the NRA captured state power in 1986, Rwigema became the deputy Minister of Defence. He was regularly at the front line in northern Uganda during the new government's offensives against remnants of the ousted regime.

On 1 October 1990, Rwigyema led the a splinter group of NRA troops in an invasion of northern Rwanda.What became the RPF chose this date as it was close to Ugandan independence day on 9 October. This served as an excuse for Rwigyema, as the movement could be disguised from the main NRA as a military parade.

On just the second day of the struggle, Rwigyema was shot in the head and died at Nyabwenshogozi Hill

NRAHEROES : RO/00017 Brig. Chef Ali (RIP)

Brig Chef Ali traces his involvement in the struggle to the 1970s when he led his own unit in the struggle against Idi Amin which he later merged with Museveni’s NRA.

He commanded the 11th Battalion that besieged Mbarara Barracks and later captured Nakulabye and Makerere during the last onslaught on Kampala. He died of natural causes in 1997

NRAHEROES : LT. SAM MAGARA (R.I.P) R0/00022

In his book Sowing the Mustard Seed, President Museveni says 2nd Lt Sam Magara was one of the few well-trained soldiers that the young National Resistance Army (NRA) had. He was among the many that Museveni recruited in his FRONASA

Together, they created a bond and though it did not last for many years, was thick to create a lasting impression in the military history of this country.Magara became one of Museveni's military confidants. For example, during the attack on Kabamba, Museveni travelled with him in the same pick-up truck. According to Museveni, it was him and Magara who were in charge of the whole operation.

After the attack on Kabamba, he led one of the first four sections of the then Popular Resistance Army. At the time, his section was operating along Bombo Road.

Because of his seniority, President Museveni used to leave Magara in charge of operations against UNLA. Museveni recounts one of such incidences. Before I left for Europe, I left Magara in charge of the forces, he says.

And indeed, Magara performed well.During my absence, He carried out several operations and captured more guns, which brought the total number of guns in our arsenal from 60 to 100, Museveni recounts on his return from Europe in 1982.

In August 1983, NRA high command held a meeting in Semuto in Luweero district. After the meeting, Magara and several other comrades decided to come to Kampala. According to retired Captain Tofa Agaba, Magara had a tooth problem, which he wanted treated in Kampala.

He went and spent the night at Katenta Apuuli's house in Mengo, while we went at Nakulabye,recounts Agaba.

In the morning, Agaba and another NRA fighter went to check on Magara. We found him sleeping. But as soon as we settled down, the housegirl came running to the room. She told us that there were so many soldiers outside,Agaba remembers.

We looked through the window and saw almost a platoon of soldiers outside. We took off through the back door and jumped over the fence. Magara was following us, but then he remembered that he had forgotten his brief case inside the house, Agaba says.

As the NRA army commander at the time, the case is believed to have contained a lot of important documents. Among others, it had photographs of some of the rebel soldiers and sympathisers, many of whom were in Kampala.However, Magara did not make it. He was shot several times in the chest and all over the body

Agaba came back to the scene after the shooting stopped. I wanted to make sure if it was our commander who had been killed. I then went back to the bush and took the news to mzee (President Museveni).Agaba says this was his worst moment in the bush.

NRA HEROES:R0/00026 Lt. GEN. PECOS KUTEESA

Pecos Kutesa began his military career in 1976 when he joined FRONASA, one of the military groups formed to fight Id Amin Dada. Like other FRONASA recruits, he was trained at Munduli Military Academy in Tanzania.

After the fall of Amin, Kutesa was deployed in Nakasongola Military Training School.

It was from here that he deserted the army in March 1981, aged 25, to join Museveni’s NRA rebels fighting to remove Milton Obote. Kutesa says he joined FRONASA after completing S.6 at Masaka Secondary School.

After the NRA captured power, he joined Makerere University and graduated with a social sciences degree. He claims he ran away from Nakasongola, where he was a serving UNLA soldier, because an order for his arrest had been issued after his colleagues declared a rebellion and in fact attacked Kabamba Barracks on February 6, 1981.

Before joining the main group under Museveni in Luwero, Kutesa operated briefly under Brig. Matayo Kyaligonza who was in charge of urban terrorism. In his book, Kutesa recounts how, together with Matayo Kyaligonza and Benjamin Dampa (RIP), they unsuccessfully attempted to set Kampala City ablaze when they hit the Agip fuel depot in the Industrial Area.

They also planned to set ablaze other neighbouring fuel depots belonging to Shell, Caltex and Total, hoping to trigger a huge fireball that would engulf the entire city. Fortunately, or unfortunately for them, the Agip fuel tanks were empty at the time they struck with an anti-tank gun.

After the botched operation, they withdrew to Nkrumah Road, opposite Uganda House, which was their base at the time. Their next target was the Kampala water reservoir in Muyenga. Museveni reportedly restrained them before they could launch the attack.

After a stint in terrorism, Kutesa joined the main rebel group in Luwero on March 30, 1981. He says that at the time of joining the rebellion, fighters under Museveni were less than 50, and some of them were unarmed.

KAKIRI ATTACK

The UNLF detach at Kakiri was attacked at least twice by the NRA.The attack was led by Museveni himself as a platoon commander of 53 people.

The NRA attacking force had been split into five sections, each with 10 people. Sam Magara (RIP) led section one, Kutesa led section two, Jack Mucunguzi led section three, Hannington Mugabi led four and Rwigyema took charge of section five.

Kutesa is the only surviving section commander of the NRA force that attacked Kakiri.

One of the soldiers Pecos commanded in his section was Paul Kagame, currently President of Rwanda. During that operation, the NRA captured about 50 guns and declared this mission a success

Kutesa later became Museveni’s ADC.After the Kakiri attack, the NRA went underground for some months.In fact, Museveni with some of his guards went to Nairobi for 6 months. Being a Kalampenge, Kutesa asked his boss to be redeployed in active combat. Upon his return, Museveni visited all units.

Museveni again re-organised the NRA and this is when Kutesa became Commanding Officer of the C coy. This was one of the units that made up the Mobile Brigade under Salim Saleh. It is Pecos Kutesa who received a truck-load of guns that Lt. Col. Ssonko drove to the NRA base after the failed UFM attack on Lubiri in 1982.

MASINDI ATTACK

The February 20, 1984 attack on Masindi Barracks was arguably the turning point in the NRA bush-war, veterans say. Not only did the rebels multiply their arms by two, but it also boosted their morale, especially after the failed attack on Kabamba.

The Masindi attack happened after another re-organisation had brought in battalions. Kutesa who was commanding C Coy was now the boss of 1st battalion. Kutesa's 1st battalion was responsible for leading the attack. They were supposed to attack at day break but they delayed and reached at 7a.m.In fact, Saleh who had been cautioned seriously by Museveni, sent him a radio message to inform him that they had arrived late. Museveni advised them to call off the operation.

Saleh informed Kutesa of the High Command Chairman’s advice, but Kutesa protested saying they were ready to attack. The now cautious Saleh asked him whether he would take full responsibility in case the operation was not successful, and Kutesa consulted his deputies after which he said yes.

Kutesa’s deputy was Peter Kerim and his operation officer was Fred Mugisha a.k.a ‘Headache’. After consulting other commanders, Saleh gave the attack a go-ahead. In the attack, the NRA overran the Artillery School, captured about 350 rifles, plus other ammunition. They carried their loot and marched back to their base to rescue Museveni who had by then come under UNLA attack.

Before the fall of Kampala into rebel hands, the NRA had undergone yet another re-organisation after Museveni returned from a six-month diplomatic and arms searching trip. Kutesa retained command of his 1st battalion while his operation officer, Fred Mugisha, became his deputy and his deputy Peter Kerim was appointed to head a new 21st battalion.

Kutesa operated on one side of Katonga Bridge. When the Katonga Bridge fell to the rebels, the 1st battalion led the match towards Kampala along Masaka Road. There were hold-ups, especially during the peace talks in Nairobi, but eventually Kutesa’s battalion led the march towards the capital, capturing Lubiri Barracks while other units attacked different government and military encampments.

After the fall of Kampala, Kutesa went to Jinja together with Kyaligonza. In 1994, he was elected Constituent Assembly delegate for Kabula.Kutesa was one of the senior officers who fought alongside their spouses during the bush war. His wife, Dora is also a veteran of the war.

Photo : Pecos Kuteesa & Dora Kuteesa