Museveni to Kasese: Forget Yiira Republic

President Museveni who is on a four-day working visit to the Rwenzori Region to assess the security situation on Sunday met Kasese district NRM leaders at Mweya Safari Lodge in Kasese district. PPU photo

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“Leaders have politicized issues and worsened situation”

President Yoweri Museveni has called on the leaders of Kasese district and the entire Rwenzori region to preach the message of peace to the people and to advise them to ignore anybody giving them false hope by spreading the gospel of secession to form the so-called Yiira Republic.
According to Mr Museveni, it is not only impossible to annex any part of Uganda but it is also false and not practical.
“I want to state categorically that Uganda will not lose even a piece of her land to the creation of the so-called Yiira republic and whoever wants that republic should create it outside Uganda’s territory. Even Besigye [FDC presidential candidate Kizza Besigye] who promised it, if he became President and made that mistake, he would not sleep in State House that day. This country has some people who fought for it to be what it is and no one should even dream about taking part of its territory to form a new republic,” he said on Sunday while meeting Kasese district National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders at Mweya Safari Lodge in Kasese district.

However, Mr Besigye dismissed President Museveni’s claims that he pledged Yiira Repulic for the Kasese people if he became president.
Besigye on Monday twitted saying, “ Something is seriously wrong with Mr Museveni! I have never, neither anyone I know, has promised Yiira Repulic.”

Museveni is currently on a four-day working visit to the Rwenzori Region to assess the security situation there.

Rwenzori Region comprises the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge, Ntoroko and Kyegegwa.

Mr Museveni argued that it was false for anyone behind the secession to claim that the region is marginalized.
According to him, the ruling NRM has a track record of fighting for the rights of the weak, the minority and for self-determination of humanity.
“We know how to fight for the oppressed and marginalized in society. We have done it and we have some certificates of recognition on that as opposed to those who pretend to fight for the marginalized. We fought apartheid in South Africa, Arab chauvinism in South Sudan and, locally, sectarianism in the recruitment into the armed forces and so, we can’t fail to stand with any marginalized group especially in Uganda,” he added.
President Museveni expressed disappointment, saying some Ugandans with the help of their leaders, instead of identifying their interests and working towards achieving them, are busy preoccupying citizens with trivialities such as one’s identity, tribal or cultural and creation of new countries based on simple tribal identities.
He stressed that the leaders in the Rwenzori region have failed to identify their people’s interests that entail socio-economic challenges especially poverty so that they are able to find solutions to those challenges.

The President assured the people of Kasese district that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is stronger than ever before and has increased its presence in the Rwenzori region to guarantee peace and security.
On the reported militias that have been formed by some negative forces in the Rwenzori Region, Mr Museveni assured the people of the area that his government is well experienced in dealing with militias. He gave assurances that militias can’t be a problem to Uganda when he is in leadership.
“We dealt with Lakwena who had 50,000 militias, most of them armed, and the Karimojong who had 40,000 riffles. These are our children who are being abused by selfish people. We shall get in touch with them and get them out of their hiding peacefully. Unfortunately some of them have already lost their lives in this circus due to false prophets,” he added.

Mr Museveni also told all Ugandans not to worry about the current insecurity in Rwenzori region, which has claimed lives of civilians, policemen and soldiers.
At least 40 people have been killed in the attacks in the two districts of Kasese and Bundibugyo but have escalated to a security crisis.