New Vision 

UGANDA: Keep the Death Penalty Says President

President Yoweri Museveni has said the death penalty must remain as a deterrent against indiscriminate killings.

Museveni made the remarks yesterday at a 1-day workshop on the conflict in northern Uganda held at the International Conference Centre.

Some human rights organisations have been calling for the abolition of the death penalty.

"I hear some people saying that the death sentence is inhuman. Very sorry. We shall shoot anybody who kills a human being," Museveni warned, adding that criminals must be punished for their crimes.

"You are the one who kills, why can't we kill you? When our soldiers make mistakes we punish them," he said.

High-ranking UPDF officers including Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh, diplomats, religious and cultural leaders, women and youth representatives, attended the workshop.

The First Deputy Prime Minister, Lt. Gen. Moses Ali, ministers Betty Akech (security), Grace Akello (Northern Uganda), Omwony Ojwok (economic monitoring), Archbishop John Baptist Odama and Dr Salim Bachou presented papers.

Museveni said the Acholi population does not support Kony rebels. But he said, "There is support among the leadership who encourage them and confuse the international community."

Museveni said the UPDF had contained the situation and the war would end soon.

"We are sure of victory, that is why we are expanding the infrastructure there," he said. He said the budget allocated to defence this financial year was adequate but could be increased.

He said the war had persisted in Acholi because of support from Sudan, poor road infrastructure, underspending in defence, weaknesses in the army due to poor command, drunkenness and corruption and the cover-up of Kony's atrocities by some political groups.

Museveni said he would return to Gulu to oversee the operations against the LRA. Museveni said he was in the process of writing a confidential document, "From mistake to Mistake," detailing the conflict in the north.

He said while in the US in June, he presented to the State Department a 12-point programme on how government intends to tackle insecurity.

He said what is required is relief for the displaced, roads, mechanised production, support to the army and condemnation of Kony by all the politicians.

Bishop Odama said they would not give up the work of "paving the way for a peaceful end to the conflict."

Akello said people in the north were gripped with fear of exclusion from government.

Akech called on the international community to put pressure on the Sudan to stop support to Kony.

Premier Apollo Nsibambi said former internal affairs minister Eriya Kategaya was still the head of the presidential peace team.