THE FATE OF THE 1979 MUSLIM MASSACRES IN ARUA AND ANKOLE

HUMAN RIGHT IN UGANDA, THE FATE OF THE 1979 MUSLIM MASSACRES IN ARUA AND ANKOLE

Presented By Immam Iddi Kasozi at Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly
(UMYA)Ramadan Seminar  2008 With additional Summary Discussion by Ass
Prof .Dr Abasi Kiyimba

This Paper was recorded and translated to English . The Original
version was delivered in Luganda. However accuracy was maintained.

Paper Presentation

Unlike what is reported in many books, Islam Came to Uganda before
1840 and adopted at king’s palace in 1841.by the time it reached the
palace, it had already reached Buganda as a region and other parts of
Uganda.

On 25th January 1971, Iddi Amin who was by then a Major in the forces
took over power. He was in power for 8 years, 3months and 11days. Upon
taking over power, Muslims in Uganda became strong.

It should be noted that Iddi Amin ruled with other non Muslims
politicians like Paul Muwanga, Grace Ibingira, Ben Kiwanuka, Wanume
Kibedi, Prof Rugumayo e.t.c all as members of cabinet only that
history has been deliberately made silent on them and failed to bring
to public notice the non Muslim faces who ruled with Iddi Amin with
whom they had political responsibility if any.

When Iddi Amin was ousted from power, people instead of punishing the
ousted leadership who were with Amin like Rugumayo, Ammama Mbabazi
e.t.c only focused on innocent individuals (lives) who incidentally
were all  Muslims.

In places like Kilu in yumbe. Muslims were butchered just because Amin
was suspected to be a Kakwa and these were Kakwa people who were all
Muslims.

Malicious massacres were made in Toro and Ankole in daylight and
killers were never prosecuted by the state to date and continue to
walk free even though known.

Muslims were killed in Arua (Kiziba). Individual participants in the
massacre came from Shema and Igara.

Among the frightening broad day massacres, a pregnant Muslim woman was
cut on the stomach with a pang, the baby came out and the attacker
said “we have removed Iddi Amin…. “The woman and the baby died.
Many of the attackers testified that they were sent by current state
agents and leaders who to date have not been apologetic to Muslims.

NB: For details on this mass Muslims massacre and those involved read
the book “IS THE 1979 MUSLIM BLOOD-BATH IN BUSHENYI HISTORY? A REVIEW
OF THE GENOCIDE THAT WAS CALLED LIBERATION” By Abas Kiyimba, First
published in 1990 and Reprinted in 2002


The Fate of the Massacred Muslims and Their Families

•       Majority of the persons who massacred Muslims are still alive and
free at their homes .No interest and steps have been taken to
prosecute them merely because those killed were Muslims.

•       Some killers were caught and sent to prisons but families of
massacred Muslims have till date not been compensated.

•       The fate of these people have been made impossible and almost
complete, perhaps by the time they will get a savior, most valuable
evidence would have been lost and witnesses dead.

•       No human rights group has devoted interest in the fate of these
people merely because those killed were Muslims.

•       Land and other Muslims valuable properties that was grabbed away
from Muslims is still in hands of those who grabbed it and Muslims
families have not been assisted to regain their land and properties.

•       Psychological suffering and bad dreams affect Muslim survivors on
seeing killers of their loved one moving free and at times provoking
those who lost family relatives.

•       Their fate is now followed by Continued Muslim arrests and
suffocation without trial and at times branded terrorist like our
brother who had come to build boreholes in Uganda from South Africa
who were recently arrested and deported.

•       All avenues of communicating the fate of these people face
resistance from security agents creating a prospect of totally
forgetting the Muslim massacres and the fate of these people. Even
many Muslims today are not aware of these and similar Muslim massacre
blocking any chance for Muslims collective response.

•       No lawyer has developed interest in representing these people and
existing legal aid clinics shun away from this category of complaints.
The families have no where to run for help and can’t afford hiring
expensive private lawyers.
•       E.T.C


Recommendations

•       There is need to put Muslims in Uganda and world over on notice of
the existence of these un addressed massacres where many criminals are
still at large with no efforts geared on prosecuting them.

•       Need to establish a Muslim human rights organization to follow up
human rights violations of Muslims including these Muslim massacres.
The Muslim community does not benefit from merely having a desk for
human rights in existing organizations; we need a body purely focused
on following up human rights violations of Muslim rights.

•       More research is needed in the area of these massacres to unveil
even more of the unknown atrocities on Muslims.

•       Need lawyers to come up and privately prosecute those who were
involved or we mobilize and hire lawyers to take up the matter.

•       We need to pray for our deceased brothers and sisters and also come
up to help the survivors with all possible humanitarian needs and
comfort.



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