VIOLENT RIOTS IN KAMPALA AFTER MUSEVENI SNUBS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KAMPALA 001044 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2019 TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM KDEM PINR ASEC UG SUBJECT: VIOLENT RIOTS IN KAMPALA AFTER MUSEVENI SNUBS BUGANDA KING REF: KAMPALA 00946 Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Aaron Sampson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Riots in Kampala erupted on September 10 after Ugandan security forces prevented senior Buganda Kingdom officials from traveling to the town of Kayunga less than 50 miles north of Kampala. Police, military and the notorious "Black Mamba" squads used tear gas and live bullets to disperse protesters. Estimates of those killed varied from three to twelve. Kayunga is historically part of the Buganda Kingdom, but President Museveni recently directed the Buganda King not to travel there after an ethnic minority in Kayunga rejected the Kingdom's authority. King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, also known as the "Kabaka", is scheduled to visit Kayunga on Saturday, September 12. In a late night speech to the nation on September 10 President Museveni justified his reason for blocking the King's travel. The Buganda Kingdom meanwhile has vowed to move forward with the visit. More unrest is expected over the weekend. These riots are perhaps the first sign of how such a dangerous strategy of ethnic divisiveness can backfire. End Summary. -------------- Riots in Kampala: The Details -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Police confirm three deaths and 43 injuries from protests that began in the Kisekka Market neighborhood of central Kampala and quickly spread to seven nearby Buganda districts of Wakiso, Mukono, Masaka, Mityana, Luweero, Buikwe and Mpigi. Rioters lit bonfires on main streets throughout downtown Kampala and looted several stores, allegedly targeting Asian national shopkeepers. The police and military police responded immediately, deploying riot squads, armored personnel carriers, and paramilitary police known locally as the "Black mambas". Protesters then attacked security officers with stones and clubs, and police responded with tear gas and live ammunition. When the government ran out of police it reportedly gave weapons to regular traffic cops. According to the local Daily Monitor newspaper, Deputy Spokesman for the Kampala Metropolitan Police Henry Kalulu said the police had arrested 35 suspected demonstrators, and expected more arrests overnight. As of Thursday evening, police were also reportedly holding 30 Asian nationals in protective custody for their own safety. Police confirm three dead, although local media report that the death toll may be as high as 10 or 12 people. ¶3. (SBU) Local schools and businesses closed early Thursday due to the violence, and public transportation came to a standstill. With several main roads closed, many people were forced to walk up to 20 kilometers home. Traffic subsided late Thursday night, and businesses, schools, and transportation resumed Friday morning, although some people stayed home in fear of additional violence. RSO confirms that all official AMCITs are safe and accounted for. -------------- Museveni Delivers Inflammatory Speech -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Museveni stated on the state-owned radio station Radio Uganda late Thursday evening that he had tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to speak with the Kabaka. Although we have yet to secure a transcript of the speech, Museveni reiterated his order for the Kabaka not to travel to Kayunga and warned that he had no intention of backing down. Museveni also accused the Buganda-run Central Broadcasting System (CBS) radio station of "demonizing" the President and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. The GOU closed CBS on September 10 at 5:45, claiming the radio stations were inciting violence and ethnic hatred. CBS operates the two most popular radio stations in Uganda. LES staff claim that "Every Muganda listens to CBS." The stations are two of approximately 20 Luganda-language radios operating in the Central and South of Uganda. Other Luganda-language stations were demonstrating noticeable self-censorship the morning after CBS's closure. While other Luganda-language stations were closed for similar reasons in the past, this is the first time the GOU has closed CBS, which is the only press outlet for the Kabaka. ¶5. (C) The Buganda Kingdom's Attorney General reiterated on late-night radio Thursday that the Baganda are going with their King to Kayunga. On September 11 a close relative of the Kabaka told the Embassy that he would be meeting with the King's security detail later in the day but that he fully expected the King to be "stubborn" and insist on traveling to Kayunga. Meanwhile a senior advisor to Museveni told the Embassy that the Kabaka would not be allowed to travel to Kayunga and that the visit was off. -------------- Museveni-Buganda Dispute Background -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The once close relations between Museveni and the kingdom have deteriorated since 2007 when the President began pushing land reform that Buganda leaders claim would undercut their traditional land tenure. This friction has accelerated this month with warnings by the GOU that it would prevent the Buganda King from his annual visit to Kayunga. The police justified their decision by saying the visit would incite violence from ethnic Banyala, a very small non-Baganda minority in the district. The police warning was prompted by earlier demonstrations by the Banyala against the King's planned visit. The GOU claims it would allow the King to visit only if he first sought permission from the Banyala's traditional leader, who happens to be a Ugandan military officer. The Buganda leadership has countered that they should be allowed to visit any area that is recognized in the Ugandan constitution as a part of their Kingdom. They further allege that Museveni is attempting to weaken Buganda's political power by encouraging the Banyala and other ethnic minorities to separate from the kingdom. ¶7. (SBU) The GOU amplified Buganda suspicions when it announced earlier this month that it was replacing the King's guard force, which was selected by the Baganda but trained by the Ugandan military, with government selected military policemen. Buganda leaders fear the move would weaken the King's security and insert spies within his entourage. Baganda MPs walked out of the Parliament in protest on September 9, and police prevented Baganda youth in Kayunga from preparing for the King's visit, sparking riots there. -------------- Comment: A Dangerous Strategy -------------- ¶8. (C) We expect the Buganda King to go to Kayunga with or without government authorization. The government will likely try to block his route and more violence is probable. Widespread unemployment among local youth likely contributed to the acts of violence and protest. President Museveni's battle with the Buganda appears to be the latest sign of a deliberate attempt at ethnic division in order to undermine opposition support in advance of Uganda's 2011 presidential election. Museveni's recommendation to reserve specific elected offices for ethnic Banyoro in western Uganda provided another example (reftel). Still another occurred on August 30 when Museveni recognized for the first time the Kingdom of Rwenzururu in southwest Uganda. This reversal appeared calculated to undercut potential presidential rival Kizza Besigye, who captured one of the two districts that compose the Rwenzururu Kingdom during the 2006 elections. ¶9. (C) The proliferation of new administrative districts also appears to be a part of Museveni's early electoral manipulations. Seven more districts were added in July and another eight are scheduled to come on line in 2010 despite opposition demands to halt the process until after the 2011 elections. On September 8, Presidential Advisor Moses Byaruhanga told the Mission that Museveni's ultimate goal was to give each ethnic constituency its own district so that primary school children can speak their native local languages at school and local officials can conduct local government business in their own local languages. ¶10. (C) Before the riots began on September 10 one ethnic Baganda Member of Parliament told the Embassy that Museveni was targeting the Buganda Kingdom for its supposed ties to opposition parties like Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Uganda People's Congress (UPC). Whether Museveni provoked a fight with the Buganda for this or some other as yet unseen reason, a strategy based on ethnic division will put Uganda on a dangerous and potentially explosive path as it heads into the 2011 presidential election campaign. LANIER