Lt Gen Peter Elwelu appears before the parliamentary committee on Presidential Affairs on March 1, 2023. PHOTO | DAVID LUBOWA
The United States yesterday slapped travel restrictions on the former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Gen Peter Elwelu, on allegations of violation of human rights after the attack on the Rwenzururu Kingdom palace which left over 150 people dead and hundreds injured on November 26 and 27 of 2016.
According to the sanctions, Lt Gen Elwelu “is designated due to his involvement in gross violations of human rights. Specifically, Peter Elwelu was involved, while commanding UPDF forces, in extrajudicial killings that were committed by members of the UPDF. As a result of these actions, the designated Ugandan officials are generally ineligible for entry into the United States”.
The incident that caused the sanctioning of Lt Gen Elwelu happened on November 27, 2016, when he was the Commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Force second division in Kasese District.
Lt Gen Elwelu, then at the rank of Brigadier General, led the operation in which the military encircled and attacked the palace of Omusinga Wa Rwenzururu Wesley Mumbere in Kasese District.
The Kasese killing is suspected to have started from the creation of Obundhingiya Bwa Bamba cultural group, which succeeded from the Rwenzururu Kingdom in 2014.
Rwenzururu Kingdom and its people dominated by the Bakonzo protested the creation of a new cultural institution in Bundibugyo District that was carved out of their kingdom.
During the installation of Maj (Rtd) Martin Kamya, the king of the Bamba, in March 2014, President Museveni warned the new kingdom not to victimise Bakonzo and other ethnic groups in Bundibugyo District.
“I caution you not to make the same mistake the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu did in Kasese,” Mr Museveni told Bamba, who attended the event.
There was calm in the district until the general elections of 2016 when members of rival groups stood as candidates for Parliament and local positions.
It wasn’t long before members of the rival kingdoms started attacking shortly after the contested Bundibugyo Local Council five elections.
It is alleged that political commentators supporting each group inflamed the situation prompting the locals to pick up objects and arms to attack rival groups.
By the end of February 2016, over 10 people had been killed.
At police headquarters in Kampala, the then Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura accused some of the Rwenzururu leaders of being behind a group dubbed Kirumira Mutima that he said carried out the attacks.
The government sent more reinforcements in the region in what the people loyal to the Rwenzururu Kingdom saw as bias on the side of the Bamba.
Tension continued to boil over
On March 17, 2016, Gen Kayihura travelled in Kasese District and requested Omusinga to meet at a hotel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, an appointment he declined.
In his rejection, the Omusinga allegedly told Gen Kayihura that he only goes to the national park to see wild animals, not for important meetings. The Omusinga allegedly told Gen Kayihura that he was a king and it would be good discipline for the security officers to go to his palace and meet him there.
Both parties agreed to meet at a neutral ground at Hotel Margherita in Kasese District the next day.
Some of the royal guards who were arrested in November 2016, appear in Jinja High Court in December 2016. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
In the meeting, Omusinga asked Gen Kayihura to withdraw his statement linking Kirumira Mutima group to his kingdom.
Gen Kayihura apologised
Omusinga also asked the security to withdraw the deployment of soldiers and police in the hotspots.
However, the heavy deployments didn’t cease.
Police deployed Flying Squad Unit operatives, who used to arrest suspected Kirumira Mutima group members that had participated in the attacks. The supporters of Rwenzururu Kingdom also retaliated, leaving a police officer, two soldiers and a royal guard dead.
The police alleged that the people who killed a police officer were hiding in the palace, which the Omusinga denied.
On April 5, 2016, the police operations commander accompanied by Brig Gen Elwelu visited Omusinga and Rwenzori West Regional Police Commander Denis Namuwoza at his palace, but they were first denied entry until they left their firearms behind.
All the security personnel left their guns behind and they were subjected to thorough check by the Omusinga Royal Guards at the entrance, which annoyed Brig Gen Elwelu.
Brig Elwelu even raised it in the meeting with Omusinga describing the incident as a show of hostility the kingdom had on the security personnel.
“So you could see the level of hostility, which is uncalled for to be honest because we don’t have any intention of you, your majesty,” Brig Elwelu said, but his host was unapologetic about the checks.
The tensions appeared to have calmed down throughout the mid-year. But around October 2016, tensions increased and the supporters of Rwenzururu Kingdom accused the government of bias.
On November 26, 2016, the angry people started storming government installations attacking police officers and government officials.
Police Sgt Joseph Kule, Detective Corporal Richard Elai, Corporal Patrick Anywar, Corporal Kasiim Kaluba, Constable Thomas Malinga, Constable Robert Baluku and Constable Gaetano Awachi were killed and four other police officers injured in the attacks.
This brought the number of police officers killed in the Rwenzori region to 14.
The then spokesman of police Andrew Felix Kaweesi (now deceased) said they would put out of action anyone who dared attack their officers and government installations.
“The government security forces will do whatever it takes to ensure that all criminal elements are put out of action. And there is no doubt, no joking around. Anybody who attacks our security forces will be just put out of action before he kills our security personnel,” Kaweesi said.
Kaweesi said they got information that the attackers had escaped to the palace and police wanted to get them out but the Omusinga’s guard had put up resistance.
“The palace of Omusinga is part of Uganda and we shall not have violated any territorial integrity. He has the audacity to cooperate and if we want those criminals hiding in his residence, he should tell them to get out. If he does not [give us access], then we shall get in,” he said before the palace raid.
The military led by Brig Gen Elwelu took over the siege of the Omusinga’s palace.
On November 27, 2016, Brig Elwelu’s group stormed the palace as they shot live bullets.
Human Rights Watch said soldiers allegedly killed more than 150 people, including children and women, before they arrested the Omusinga and some of his officials. Hundreds others sustained injuries.
More than 400 people were arrested by security officers. Many claimed that they were tortured in detention by security personnel.
Brig Gen Elwelu owned up all that took place in the operation and added that he didn’t regret.
The bodies of the deceased were collected by the police and dumped in a mass grave without carrying out an autopsy on them.
However, the government dug the bodies out and did an autopsy on each body before burying them again.
Later Gen Katumba Wamala, who was then the Commander of Defence Forces, allegedly denied being involved in the operation carried out by Brig Gen Elwelu in Kasese District.
After screening the suspects, the Omusinga and 141 of his loyalists were charged and produced in a court in Jinja District (now a city).
Several human rights bodies and foreign missions in Uganda condemned the raid of the Omusinga’s palace and described it as extrajudicial killings of unarmed people.
They have since demanded for the prosecution of those behind the killings.
However, after the raid, Brig Gen Elwelu was promoted to the rank of major general before getting another, of lieutenant general and appointed the Deputy Commander of Defence Forces.
On March 21, 2024, he was dropped and appointed a special presidential advisor. He was replaced by Lt Gen Samuel Okiding.
What stakeholders say...
Mr Geoffrey Bigogo, former Kasese LC5 chairman.
The sanctions are well-deserved...we are at the apex of corruption and human rights violations; we need the support of countries like the US and UK to warn other people who are also looting...The Speaker should also stop hiding behind the Anti-homosexuality Act.Let the Speaker carry her own cross.
Mr Johncation Muhindo, Creations Forum Afrika leader.
The Speaker shouldn’t say she is carrying the cross for Ugandans because my grandmother... has not been sanctioned. Then about Lt Gen [Peter] Elwelu...in 2016, he...was...chest thumping after causing the death of more than 200 people... It is okay to have him sanctioned.
Mr Rogers Kanti, a rights activist in Masindi.
People should organise a rally to show our support for these sanctions and demand further action against corrupt officials. The international community is watching, and we must seize this opportunity.
A royal guard suspect appears in Jinja High Court with alleged torture wounds in 2016. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
Francis Muhindo, officer at Kabarole Research Centre
The attack on the palace of the Omusinga still leaves a lot of questions. Take an instance of the number of children who were killed and are still unaccounted for....We can resolve issues through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and non-confrontational means.
Mr Fredrick Banage, FDC chairperson in Masindi.
Finally, some accountability. These leaders have been exploiting our country for too long.
Mr Mukisa Rogers, a resident of Masindi District.
Lt Gen Peter Elwelu should have faced justice years ago for the atrocities committed by UPDF. This is a step in the right direction. However, as activits, we need to see some of these officials investigated and brought to book, not mere sanctions
Compiled by Jerome Kule Bitswande and Ismail Bategeka and Longino Muhindo.
