State is still the suspect for the Masaka killings says Besigye
National Unity Platform (NUP) MPs Mohammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana are among the arrested suspects. Police allege they were involved in the deaths of at least three persons.
Dr. Kizza Besigye, the former president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and a political activist, has urged that the government should be investigated as a suspect in the recent spate of killings in the Masaka region.
Over 30 individuals have been killed by machete-wielding gangs in Masaka, however their motives remain unknown despite the arrest of over 23 suspects so far.
National Unity Platform (NUP) MPs Mohammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana are among the arrested suspects. Police allege they were involved in the deaths of at least three persons.
Besigye remarked on an interview in Kampala on Tuesday that he can’t rule out the government’s participation in the deaths.
“My first suspect is the state; my second suspect is people who have complaints against the state; the state might probably be involved in these (Masaka killings),” Besigye stated.
Besigye stated that as other arrested people are questioned, the government must also be probed because they are unable to do it.
“This is why we brought Uganda’s case to the International Criminal Court (ICC), because criminals cannot investigate themselves. Besigye stated, “We need to probe this government.”
Besigye, who fought in the bush war that brought President Museveni’s administration to power in 1986, believes that the president’s political awareness is based on violence, and that he cannot rule out the government’s involvement.
“Museveni has continued to establish that narrative of us versus them in Uganda, and he has used violence,” Besigye stated.
“In Luweero, it was the Ugandan people against “those enemies,” he continued. Mr. Museveni’s most effective technique, even after assuming office, is fear-mongering; his undergraduate thesis was on political violence..”
Besigye expressed his condolences to the families who have lost loved ones to the machete goons so far, and urged them to be strong and participate in efforts to bring their tormentors to justice.
Besigye stated that the country’s instability is nothing new, and he asked Ugandans to participate in efforts to hold officials accountable.
