UGANDA: MFA EXPLAINS GOVERNMENT VIEW OF KAMPALA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 001079

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS ASEC UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: MFA EXPLAINS GOVERNMENT VIEW OF KAMPALA
RIOTS

REF: KAMPALA 01055

Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Aaron Sampson for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: During a September 16 briefing for foreign
Ambassadors, the Foreign Minister and Inspector General of
Police stressed that Ugandan police adhered to international
norms and exercised restraint during the riots that rocked
Kampala September 10-12. They noted that if police had fired
live bullets into crowds, as some have alleged, many more
civilians would have been killed. The GOU's response to
rioters and local media, they said, was rooted in a genuine
concern that ethnic incitement, if left unchecked, could
trigger violence similar to that seen in the past in
neighboring Rwanda and Kenya. End Summary.

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Ugandan Government Calculations
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2. (SBU) Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa and
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Maj. General Kale Kayihura
discussed last week's riots with foreign Ambassadors on
September 16. Armed with video clips of rioters burning
vehicles, throwing projectiles, trashing stores, and erecting
road blocks, Kutesa and Kayihura defended security forces'
actions during the September 10-12 riots in Kampala (reftel).
The riots left, according to press reports, 24 dead and more
than 100 wounded. The Foreign Minister explained that the
GOU had prevented the King of Baganda from traveling to the
disputed region of Kayunga out of fear that his presence
would trigger a violent response from the Banyala, a small
ethnic sub-group of less than 10,000 that is reportedly
seeking autonomy from the Bugandan Kingdom. Kutesa said the
Minister of Internal Security had apprised the King of the
GOU's position, along with concerns regarding the King's
security in Kayunga, well before the riots. But he noted
that the Bugandan Prime Minister insisted nevertheless on
traveling to Kayunga on September 10 to advance the King's
visit. Police subsequently stopped the Prime Minister from
reaching Kayunga, triggering what Kutesa and the IGP
described as erroneous reports by the Buganda-run Central
Broadcasting Station (CBS) radio that the Bugadan Prime
Minister had been arrested.


3. (SBU) IGP Kayihura apologized for the disturbances and
blamed local radio stations for inciting unemployed youth to
expand the riots to other parts of the city. Claiming the
riots were premeditated, the IGP cited reports of a truck
distributing tires for rioters to burn. The IGP assured
foreign Ambassadors that Ugandan police used appropriate
force in conformance with UN standards, and called for
military reinforcements only when it was clear that police
lacked the manpower and heavy vehicles needed to respond to
the riots. He said security forces acted in self defense
after being overwhelmed by unemployed youth, hooligans, and
criminal classes looking for a reason to loot stores, burn
vehicles, and steal money. He noted that UN protocols allow
for police to use force to defend themselves and that some of
the rioters had hand guns. Kayihura reported 15 civilians
killed in the riots (local newspapers list 24 killed) along
with extensive property damage and looting. More than 800
people were arrested and over 600 of these have already been
charged. One police officer was killed and ten others
wounded.


4. (SBU) Referring to the ethnic-based violence in Kenya and
Rwanda in the past, Foreign Minister Kutesa said the GOU
warned local media against preaching violence and hate well
before the riots. Responding to concerns about the
protection of press freedoms, Kutesa noted that Uganda had
closed only four out of more than 100 FM radio stations in
country, and said respect for press freedoms does not mean
the GOU will allow media to advocate hatred and violence.
Kutesa said the GOU is arranging talks with leaders of ethnic
groups, religious groups, and local clans to resolve the
impasse with cultural leaders like the Buganda King and put
in place new legislation clarifying the roles of traditional
monarchies.

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Questions from Foreign Ambassadors
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5. (SBU) The German Ambassador asked Minister Kutesa and the
IGP to explain the disproportionate ratio of civilians to
soldiers killed and asked that the Ugandan government strive
to respect human rights even in critical situations. The IGP

KAMPALA 00001079 002 OF 002


responded that police had exercised great restraint given the
circumstances, and stressed that the use of firearms by
police had been discrete and not indiscriminate. The
Tanzanian Ambassador commended the government for prompt
action and the Sudanese Ambassador praised the Ugandans for
re-imposing order.


6. (SBU) In response to a question from the Dutch Ambassador
about bystanders outside of Kampala allegedly applauding as
police beat demonstrators, Minister Kutesa noted that,
contrary to popular opinion, the riots were not exclusively
about ethnicity. What started as an ethnic protest, he said,
rapidly deteriorated into an equal opportunity free-for-all
involving hooligans, unemployed youth, criminals, gangs, and
others simply looking for a reason to riot. He then asked
foreign Ambassadors to join him in condemning violence. The
IGP added that Bagandan-owned shops were also looted and only
30 percent of those arrested were ethnic Bagandan.


7. (SBU) The British High Commissioner condemned the violence
and asked for further evidence of the pre-planned nature of
the riots. Minister Kutesa said rioters stockpiled fuel
jerry cans to burn police posts. The IGP alleged that a truck
circulated in the city to deliver tires to rioters in need of
something to burn. He also said some Baganda ring leaders
had offered to pay rioters $15 dollars to run amok. The
Kenyan High Commissioner also condemned the violence and said
the GOU's response was ultimately a success, as quick action
turned what could have become a massive inter-ethnic battle
into short-lived and sporadic anti-government riots.

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Comment: A No-Win Situation
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8. (C) The issue of excessive force is not clear at the
moment. We believe the security forces exercised restraint
overall, but that there were certainly some instances of
excess. The key message from the briefing is that the GOU is
comfortable with its response to the riots. With ethnic
tensions running high, preserving public peace, law and order
is clearly the GOU's first priority given the country's own
history as well as those of its neighbors. From this
perspective, peace and stability will continue to trump
concerns about press freedoms, as the GOU (and indeed many
ordinary Ugandans) draws a different line than we might in
defining what constitutes inflammatory speech.
LANIER