Shocking brutality

THE violence that started during Uganda’s acrimonious Arua municipal by-elections and spilled into this week has put question the discipline and professionalism of the security forces in handling public protests by unarmed civilians.

The brutal behaviour of the armed forces in Monday’s civilian protests and during the arrest of opposition politicians in Arua last week beggars belief Previously, the president and government blamed chaos on opposition protesters and justified the use of excessive force as a means to subdue them and stop them from breaking into people’s shops or business premises to loot or destroy their property

However, on Monday it was the security forces who were seen brutalising innocent people and hounding traders out of their shops to beat them. The shocking images show soldiers beating people with sticks as if they were serpents. This was after smoking them out of their shops with tear gas. The security forces lobbed tear gas into shopping arcades and beat suffocating traders and clients who ran out for fresh air. . Even suspects who did not resist arrest were battered to pulp. Journalists covering the riots were not spared either.

In Mityana, the armed forces shot at a van of soccer fans who were not part of the protest, killed people and injured others. The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) issued a statement promising to arrest the soldiers who beat up journalists. The decision is welcome, but journalist are just a section of the brutalised larger community. All soldiers who brutalised innocent people – whether journalists or others – must be punished.

We hope the CDF will walk the talk and arrest the culprits. The public is watching.