Liberian Civil War Atrocities

Murder Victims in Liberia Civil War

   MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) - The skeletal remains of 27 people were all that was left of a massacre, one of many in this West African nation's back-to-back civil wars more than a decade ago. When the United Nations handed over the bones to the government last month, it was an invitation to investigate. Instead the remains were buried quickly, without ceremony, in a site intended for victims of the Ebola virus.

   The incident left many Liberians feeling as though the government wanted to bury the past, too.

   As the U.N.'s peacekeeping mission prepares to leave Liberia with the country's return to stability, questions remain about who must take responsibility for the atrocities over 14 years that left some 250,000 dead.

   Unlike neighboring Sierra Leone, which also suffered from the fighting that spilled over the border, Liberia has yet to deal with perpetrators of the killings, many carried out by drugged and under-age fighters, overseen by people who may now be in power.

   "If there is a need for exhumation for further investigation, that will happen," Information Minister Eugene Nagbe told The Associated Press, insisting the remains of the 27 people were not buried in the same spot where victims of the Ebola outbreak were buried.

   The government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has said it is taking measures to reconcile with the past, but human rights advocates say the president doesn't have the political will to allow the pursuit of past crimes. Before she took power, Sirleaf said that if she was elected she would go for reconciliation instead of prosecution.

   Some in Liberia see this year's election as a chance to bring in a government that might take a more assertive approach.

   The bones handed over by the U.N. mission are thought to be those of victims of the River Gee massacre in 2003, which left more than 360 dead, the New Democrat newspaper reported, citing a 2008 report of the truth and reconciliation commission set up after the civil wars. The U.N mission had begun a forensic investigation into the killings but chose to turn over the bones as its gradual withdrawal from Liberia continues. The mission ends in March 2018.

   The truth and reconciliation commission had blamed on forces loyal to former Liberian rebel leader-turned-President Charles Taylor. Taylor is currently serving a 50-year sentence in Britain after being found guilty of war crimes by a U.N.-backed special court for his role in the bloody civil war in Sierra Leone when he was Liberia's leader.

   Liberia has never had such a special court, though the truth and reconciliation commission had recommended criminal prosecution for dozens of ex-warlords and a 30-year political ban for people who supported the war.

   One of those supporters was Sirleaf, who reluctantly appeared before the commission in 2008 and admitted to providing $10,000 to Taylor when his National Patriotic Front rebel movement was fighting the regime of then-President Samuel Doe.

   But Sirleaf told the truth commission that the money to Taylor was for "humanitarian purposes." Her critics have debunked this, saying that in the 1990s Taylor and his rebels weren't pursuing any humanitarian venture. Meanwhile, Sirleaf held a string of overseas positions with the United Nations and the World Bank and returned to Liberia only in 2004 when Taylor was forced to step down. She was elected president the following year.

   The truth and reconciliation commission's recommendations for criminal prosecution and political bans have never been implemented, and many people named by the commission are now senior members of Liberia's government. The National Human Rights Commission, tasked with implementing the commission's suggestions, remains underfunded.

   Meanwhile, many massacres during the fighting from 1989 to 2003 remain uninvestigated, Liberians say. Some prefer to be done with the past, but others feel closure is vital.

   "It is hard and worthless to keep repeating the graphic of the scene and see the hate and vices that occasioned the war still exist unabated," said Isaac Redd, director of press at the House of Representatives who survived a 1994 massacre at Kpolokpai. "I have personally prayed for the lost souls and asked God to take control for the perpetrators. I have forgiven them."

   Redd, a local radio reporter at the time, recalled that "deaths by chopping off limbs and heads with machetes were ordered without discrimination." Victims were tied up on arrest, and there was no interrogation. "Heads were smashed against the rocks in the middle of the town."

   Those rocks still take center stage in the small coffee-growing town. Visitors stand by them, agape, as survivors explain the atrocities.

   Like the rest of the survivors, Redd does not know how many people were killed in the Kpolokpai massacre, but he said that when rebel fighters released him the next morning, "I was confused but remembered seeing around a hundred bodies on the rocks."

   Many have called for the establishment of a war crimes court like the one that existed in post-conflict Sierra Leone, even as some say no amount of accountability can ease the trauma left behind.

   Peterson Sonyah, who witnessed killings in another assault that has come to be known as the Lutheran Church Massacre, is among those calling for a war crimes tribunal "so that our ugly past cannot haunt us as a nation."

   Sonyah survived an attack by Doe's troops by hiding under a church bench. Around him, soldiers opened fire, the flashes brightening the hall as if it was daytime.

   "People started crying all over the place. Women were raped and made to give out whatever money they had to the soldiers before they were gunned down," he said.

   Sonyah said Liberia Massacre Survivors Association has identified 69 mass graves in five of the country's 15 counties in the hope that someone will take interest. None is under investigation by the government.

Tukumbuke Askari Wetu Waliopigana kwa Niaba ya Mkoloni

Askari Monument in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

 Leo nimekumbuka ule wimbo tuliokuwa tunaimba jeshini, JKT, inaenda hivi..... Askari Eh, Vitani yee mama......   

Wadau, mnajua ile sanamu pale City Center Dar. Inaitwa Askari Monument.  Ni kumbukumbu ya Askari waafrika waliopigana katika Vita Kuu ya Kwanza ya Dunia.  Waafrika walichukuliwa na Mkoloni kuwa Askari katika Majeshi yao, Walifanya kazi ngumu ya kupigana huko wazungu walikaa kwenye viti vyao wanapunga hewa!  Kwa maana hiyo Akari wa nchi fulani, walikuwa wanaua Askari wa nchi nyingine, Kama mchezo vile!  (Gameborad) Askari wengine walipelekwa Ulaya na hawakurudi kwa familia zao, wala familia zao hawajui waliishia wapi!

Nimekusanya picha ya Askari waliopigana katika Vita Kuu ya Kwanza ya Dunia, wakati huo Tanzania, inaiitwa Deustche Oost Afrika (German East Africa).

Na Mjerumani alikuwa ni msehenzi mkatiki kwa Waafrika..  Waafrika huko vijijini waliuawa wengi sana na Mjerumani eti wazaa au wagonjwa.

Kwa habari zaidi za Vita Kuu ya Kwanza na Dunia na Tanzania (German East Africa) BOFYA HAPA:

Askari Akiaaga Familia Yake kabla ya kwenda Vitani

. 

Askari kwenye Gwaride Dar es Salaam

Askari kwenye Mafunzo 1918

Askari Monument Mwaka 1945

American Hero - Henry Lincoln Johnson Aka Black Death

Henry Lincoln Johnson (1897 – July 5, 1929) the Soldier Called “Black Death”

Henry L Johnson Aka Black Death (1897-1929)

 Henry Johnson suffered 21 wounds and rescued a fellow soldier while repelling an enemy raid in the Argonne Forest in 1918 but died 11 years later a forgotten man.

On June 2, 2015, President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Army Private Henry Johnson for conspicuous gallantry during World War I.

Private Henry Johnson will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while serving as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Then-Private Johnson distinguished himself during combat operations in the vicinity of the Tourbe and Aisne Rivers, northwest of Saint Menehoul, France, on May 15, 1918.

Private Johnson entered the Army on June 5, 1917. He was assigned to Company C, 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, an all-black National Guard unit that would later become the 369th Infantry Regiment. The Regiment was ordered into battle in 1918, and Private Johnson and his unit were brigaded with a French Army colonial unit in front-line combat.

While on night sentry duty on May 15, 1918, Private Johnson and a fellow Soldier received a surprise attack by a German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers. While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Johnson mounted a brave retaliation resulting in several enemy casualties.

When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Displaying great courage, Private Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated. He died at the age of 32 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, his only recognition the French Croix de Guerre.

At last, in 1996, the U.S. awarded Johnson a Purple Heart and followed up in 2002 with the nation’s second-highest commendation, the Distinguished Service Cross. At the time, the military denied Johnson the Medal of Honor, finding insufficient documentation of his heroism.

Subsequently, Sen. Chuck Schumer’s volunteer historians have amassed overwhelming proof that this quintessential Hellfighter from Harlem performed with incomprehensible valor in service of a nation that spurned him at every turn because of skin color. Command Sergeant Major Louis Wilson, New York National Guard, will join the President at the White House to accept the Medal of Honor on Private Johnson’s behalf.
(Story via Edie A.)
Read more here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/…/remembering-henry-johnson…/…

Viongozi wa South Sudan Wafika Makubaliano

Rais Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Naibu Rais wa Afrika Kusini Cyril
Ramaphosa (kulia) na Bw. Bw. Deng Alor Kuol  wakifurahia wakati  Rais
Salva Kiir Mayardiy wa Sudan ya Kusini (wa pili kushoto) na Makamu wa
Rais wa zamani wa Sudan Dkt Riek Machar Teny (wa pili kulia) wakipeana
mikono na kubadilishana nyaraka baada ya kutia saini mkatana wa
makubaliano ya kukiunganisha upya chama cha SPLM cha Sudani Kusini
katika hoteli ya Ngurdoto jijini Arusha Jumatano Januari 21, 2015
usiku.  PICHA NA IKULU

TAARIFA KWA VYOMBO VYA HABARI

MKATABA wa kujenga tena umoja na kukiunganisha upya Chama Tawala cha Sudan Kusini cha Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) ulitiwa saini usiku wa jana, Jumatano, Januari 22, 2015, katika sherehe ya kufana iliyofanyika katika Ukumbi wa Mikutano wa Hoteli ya Ngurdoto, Wilaya ya Arumeru, Mkoa wa Arusha.

Mkataba huo unaojulikana kama Agreement on the Re-unification of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement umepongezwa kuwa ni hatua muhimu katika kulitoa taifa changa la Sudan Kusini katika hali ya machafuko, vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe, kutoelewana na kutoaminiana, mambo ambayo yameligubika taifa hilo tokea mwishoni mwa 2013 wakati kutokuelewana kulipozuka ndani ya SPLM na hatimaye katika Serikali ya nchi hiyo.

Baada ya siku nzima ya mawasiliano na majadiliano baina ya pande zinazovutana ndani ya chama hicho pamoja na viongozi wa nchi jirani na rafiki na Sudan Kusini, viongozi watatu wa vikundi vinavyopingana ndani ya SPLM walitia saini Mkataba huo muhimu sana.

Viongozi waliotia saini ni Mheshimiwa Salva Kiir Mayardit, Rais wa Sudan Kusini ambaye pia ni Mwenyekiti wa SPLM na anayeongoza kundi linalojulikana kama SPLM in Government (SPLM-IG), Mheshimiwa Dkt. Riek Machar ambaye alikuwa Makamu Mwenyekiti wa SPLM na pia aliyekuwa Makamu wa Rais wa Sudan Kusini anayeongoza kundi la SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-IO) na Dkt. Deng Alor Kuol ambaye anaongoza kundi la SPLM Leaders- Former Detainees (SPLM Leaders – FD).

Sherehe hiyo ilishuhudiwa na Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Mheshimiwa Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete ambaye pia ni Mwenyekiti wa Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ambacho ndicho kimesimamia mazungumzo yaliyozaa Mkataba huo. Rais Kikwete pia ndiye mdhamini mkuu wa Mkataba huo.

Wengine walioshuhudia tukio hilo muhimu ni Rais wa Uganda, Mheshimiwa Jenerali Yoweri Kaguta Museveni; Rais Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta wa Kenya; Naibu wa Rais wa Jamhuri ya Afrika Kusini Mheshimiwa Cyril Ramaphosa, Makamu Mwenyekiti wa zamani wa CCM Mheshimiwa John Samwel Malecela ambaye ndiye alikuwa mwenyekiti wa mazungumzo yaliyozaa Mkataba huo na Katibu Mkuu wa CCM Mheshimiwa Abdulrahman Kinana ambaye alikuwa mwezeshaji wa mazungumzo.

Mazungumzo yaliyozaa Mkataba huo yalianza mwishoni mwa mwaka jana baada ya Rais Kikwete na Chama cha CCM kuombwa na Rais Kiir Mayardit kukubali chama hicho tawala cha Tanzania kutumia uzoefu na ujuzi wake wa miaka mingi wa uongozi na siasa kujaribu kuleta suluhu ndani ya SPLM.

Mazungumzo hayo ya kutafuta suluhu ambayo yamefanyika kwa awamu mbili, ya kwanza yakiwa yamefanyika Oktoba mwaka jana na pili yakiwa yameanza mwanzoni mwa mwezi huu, Januari 2015,  yameongeza thamani kwenye mazungumzo mengine yanayofanyika Addis Ababa, Ethiopia chini ya usimamizi wa taasisi ya IGAD na yanayojadili jinsi ya kurejesha amani nchini humo.

Viongozi wa SPLM wanaamini kuwa kwa sababu mgogoro wa kisiasa nchini mwao ulianzia ndani ya chama hicho na kwa sababu SPLM ndicho chombo pekee ambacho kinawaunganisha wananchi wote wa Sudan Kusini, basi busara inaelekeza kuwa suluhu ianze kutafutwa ndani ya chama hicho.

Mkataba wa jana, kimsingi, unalenga kuweka mazingira ya kujenga utulivu, maelewano, amani na umoja wa kudumu ndani ya chama hicho na nchini humo kwa kuhakikisha kuwa utekelezaji wa mambo ya msingi yaliyokubaliwa kuhusu shughuli za siasa, uongozi na oganisheni ya chama hicho yanafanyika bila kukawia.

Mkataba huo pia unalenga kuhakikisha kuwa chama cha SPLM kinabuni na kutekeleza sera za kuondokana na ukabila, makundi yenye mitazamo finyu na mwenendo wa kijeshi katika siasa za Sudan Kusini.

Aidha, Mkataba huo unalenga kuhakikisha kuwa chama cha SPLM kinafanya mageuzi ya kuanza kujenga utamaduni wa kuvumiliana na ujenzi wa misingi ya demokrasia.

Mkataba huo pia unataka watu wote ambao walishiriki katika mauaji na umwagaji damu katika vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe wasiruhusiwe kugombea wala kushika nafasi ya uongozi wa umma ndani ya chama hicho.

Pia viongozi wote wa Sudan Kusini wanatakiwa, chini ya Mkataba huo, kuwaomba radhi wananchi wa nchi hiyo ya Sudan Kusini kwa kuruhusu nchi hiyo kuingia katika machafuko ya umwagaji damu mkubwa.

Imetolewa na:

Kurugenzi ya Mawasiliano ya Rais,

Ikulu – Dar es Salaam.

22 Januari,2015

Vita kati ya Israel na Wapelestina!

Sijui nani ameuchora lakini ndo hali ilivyo!

Rais Kagame wa Rwanda Amtishia Rais Kikwete

Kutoka: www.afroamerica.net./AfricaGL

I will Just Wait For You At the Right Place And I will Hit You, Rwandan General Paul Kagame Threatens Tanzanian Jakaya Kikwete 

by AfroAmerica Network on July 3, 2013

 

President Kikwete of Tanzania (L) and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda (R)

 

“Those people [Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete] you just heard siding with Interahamwe and FDLR  and urging negotiations… negotiations?  Me, I do not even discuss this topic, because I will just wait for you [Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete] at the right place and I will hit you! He[Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete]  did not deserve my answer. I did not waste my time answering him…It is well known. There is a line you cannot cross, there is a line, a line that you should never cross. It is impossible…”“

It is in these ominous terms that the Rwandan dictator General Paul Kagame threatened to get even with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, while addressing Rwandan Youth on June 30, 2013 during a summit called “Youth Konnect”“, sponsored by his wife, Janet Kagame.

 

Relations between Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and Rwandan leaders have soured in the last weeks. On several occasions Rwandan leaders called the Tanzanian President “a genocide and terrorist sympathizer”, “ignorant”, “arrogant”, and “mediocre leader”. The relations have deteriorated following the recommendation by President Jakaya Kikwete of open negotiations between Rwandan, Ugandan and Congolese leaders and their respective armed opposition in order to bring durable peace and security  in the African Great Lakes region.

 

First the Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo and Defense Minister, James Kabarebe, publicly cursed the Tanzanian President and called him a sympathizer of “genocidaires”,  a “genocide denier”, and other names.

 

Then, General Paul Kagame, while addressing a closed door meeting with his close aides, called the Tanzanian President “4Bs”, which in Rwandan language means “an opportunist, attention seeker, arrogant and contemptible person.”

 

Then the Rwandan puppet Hutu Prime  minister Prime Minister  called the Tanzanian President a mediocre leader .

 

The latest public threats by  General Paul Kagame against the physical person of the Tanzanian President are arguably the most serious sign of how worse the relations among the two countries and the their leaders have become. According to sources in Kigali, General Kagame has also been frustrated by the attention Tanzanian President has been receiving from World powers. Until a few years ago, Rwanda and its dictator was the darling of the West. The attention from the West has since dwindled.

 

The recent visit by US President Barack Obama to Tanzania may have further increased the frustration and perhaps led to the grave public threats by General Paul Kagame against the Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

 

The upcoming days and months promise to be full of anticipation and sursprises in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.

 

2013 AfroAmerica Network. All Rights Reserved.

Harry Fear Speaking Tour Schedule - Gaza's Ark

Reporting on Israeli aggression against Gaza - Speaking tour January 7-12, 2013


Greetings to all supporters of the Canadian Boat to Gaza for 2013, the year when we plan to sail Gaza's Ark to challenge the blockade from the inside out, with your support. To find out more about Gaza's Ark and how you can support our work, please see http://www.GazaArk.org

The Canadian Boat to Gaza is pleased to co-sponsor a Canadian tour this week by Harry Fear, an independent journalist, documentary maker and activist from the UK. Harry was witness to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians of Gaza during Operation Pillar of Cloud in November 2012. Harry will be appearing in six Canadian venues in early January following a successful talking tour in Germany.

Website: http://www.harryfear.co.uk

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/harryfear

Twitter: @harryfear

Harry's schedule this week in Ontario and Alberta is as follows (for more details check Facebook event page or http://www.gazaark.org/events):

Jan 7 Guelph, ON

7:00 - 9:00 PM

40 Baker Street

Co-host: OPIRG U of Guelph

Event page: http://on.fb.me/TIMRrF



Jan 8 Toronto, ON

2:00 - 5:00 PM

University of Toronto Mississauga

Co-hosts: SAIA U of T & UTM
TSJP UTSC
SJP Ryerson U
SAIA York U

Event page: http://on.fb.me/UkmuGP


Jan 9 Hamilton, ON

7:00 PM Talk

Co-host: SPHR McMaster U

Event page: http://on.fb.me/ZUkFZ0


Jan 10 London, ON

7:00 PM

Co-host: Western U SPHR


Jan 11 Windsor, ON

7:00 PM

Co-host: PSG U of Windsor

Event page: http://on.fb.me/ZVNm7U



Jan 12 Calgary, Alberta

Co-host: SPHR U of Calgary

Event page: http://on.fb.me/10QRBRz


For updates and more information, please see: http://www.harryfear.co.uk/blog/gaza-report/reporting-aggression-tour

African American Veterans Military Art Exhibit Boston 11/15/11

On November 15th 2011 at 3PM until 5PM the William E. Carter American Legion Post No. 16 located at 1531 Blue Hill Ave. in Mattapan will open “African American Veterans Military Contributions,” Art Exhibit followed by a reception. The Art depicts these important historic times of valor and sacrifices were created by a youth after school art project sponsored by Artists for Humanity and commissioned by Tri-Ad Veterans League, Inc. Education and Research Center. For more information call, (617) 966-9594.

Gaddafi Aliwatendea WaTanzania Mabaya - Vita Vya Kagera


Inaelekea waTanzania wengi wamesahau historia kati ya Libya na Tanzania. Marehemu Gaddafi alikuwa rafiki yake mpenzi nduli mshenzi Dikteta Idi Amin Dada wa Uganda!  Gaddafi alitaka Amin amwoe binti yake! Gaddafi alituma wanajeshi kutoka Libya kuwasaidia Uganda katika vita vya Kagera mwaka 1978-79.  Sisi wazee tunaukumbuka huo vita na miezi kumi na nane (miaka 18) ya shida iliyofuata!  Maoni chini yameandikwa na mwanachama la kundi - Wanabidii

Gaddafi alipotembela Uganda mwaka 1973

 ...Wanabidii!


Binafsi nachukia sana kuandika bila ya ushahidi! Na zaidi sipendi kuandika "propaganda" na taarifa za uzushi; isipokuwa napenda kuandika taarifa zilizotafitiwa kwa kuandikwa na mtafiti mwenyewe (na au mwandishi aliyeandika matokeo ya utafiti au kufanya upembuzi wa utafiti husika). Takriban wiki moja sasa (tangu Alkhamis ya tarehe 20 Oktoba, 2011) uwanja wa "Wanabidii" na majukwaa mengine ya kijamii yamekuwa yakijadili "Kuuawa kwa Kanali Muammar Gaddafi" kulikofanywa na wale wanaoitwa waasi (wa NTC) wakisaidiwa na NATO wakiongozwa na Uingereza, Marekani, Ufaranza na washirika pamoja na Waarabu (Saudia na Qatar). Gaddafi ameuawa; kwa jinsi gani, kila mmoja amesoma, ameona (kwenye picha za mnato) na au kwenye picha za video!

Ninachotaka kuandika na pengine kuanzisha "mjadala" wa kiakili ni juu ya "GADDAFI KUMSAIDIA IDI AMIN DADA KWENYE VITA VYA KAGERA [UGANDA DHIDI YA TANZANIA MWAKA 1978 HADI 1979]". Napenda niweke wazi kwamba, "historia haisomwi ili kufufa 'chuki' bali husomwa kujua yaliyopita, kuyasanifu yaliyopo na kupanga mipango kwa yajayo!". Hivi ndivyo tunavyosoma historia iwe yenye kuhuzunisha au kufurahisha! Tanzania ilipigana vita na Uganda, vita iliyoitwa VITA YA KAGERA (japokuwa ilipiganwa hata ndani ya Uganda na Idi Amini Dada kufurushwa na kuikimbia Ugnda!).

Kwa ujumla, tangu pale kifo cha Muammar Gaddafi kilipotangazwa kwa mara ya kwanza na kituo cha runinga cha Al-Jazeera na kukaririwa na vituo vingine na mashirika ya habari ya kimataifa kama BBC, CNN, Reuters, Xinhua, AFP, AP na IRNA (Press Tv) kumekuwa na mchanganyiko wa "mawazo" kwa wananchi wa Tanzania juu ya "hali" ya Gaddafi kisiasa katika mtazamo wa kifalsafa...hususan wengi wa wachangiaji kwenye mijadala hiyo wanamuona Muammar Gaddafi kama "shujaa" na "mwanamapinduzi" na "kiongozi mtukuka" na "aliyejitolea kuunganisha Afrika" na hata wengine kufikia kiasi cha kuonyesha kwamba hajawahi kutokea kama Muammar Gaddafi na hata kumpa "daraja" ya kuwa "Baba wa Afrika" na mshumaa uliyozimika! Hata hivyo wengi wamesahau kamba ni Muammar Gaddafi ndiye aliyemsaidia Idi Amin Dada kwenye Vita vya Kagera! Naomba sasa tuangalie nini alifanya Gaddafi wakati wa vita vile.

Vita vinahitaji rasilimali watu (askari na wataalamu wa kijeshi), fedha za kuendeshea vita na zana (za kivita na za mawasiliano ya kivita). Kwa mujibu wa taarifa rasmi na zinazothibitishwa na taarifa rasmi za kihistoria Muammar Gadafi alimpa Idi Amin Dada usaidizi ufuatao:

1. WANAJESHI (WAPIGANAJI) 3,000 (Elfu tatu kutoka Libya na nchi zilizokuwa na mahusiano na Libya ambazo Gaddafi likuwa anazisaida na zenye uzowefu wa mazingira ya vita [military knowhow and skills on interlocustrine terrain]);

2. ZANA KAMA VIFARU AINA YA T-54, T-55, BTR, APCs, BM-21, Katyusha MRLs;

3. MIZINGA; na

4. NDEGE ZA KIJESHI AINA YA MiG-21s na Tu-22 Bomber.

Wanajeshi wa Libya waliyotumwa Uganda walikuwa katika makundi yafuatayo: ASKARI WA KAWAIDA; WANAMGAMBO; NA ASKARI WA VITA VYA MSITUNI (WENYE UZOWEFU WA VITA VYA KIENYEKI KUTOKA JANGWA LA SAHARA [MAARUFU KAMA WATUAREG KUTOKA TCHAD, NIGER, ALJERIA NA DARFUR]). Hata hivyo, shukrani za pekee kwa Jeshi la Wananchi wa Tanzania (TPDF) waliyefanyakazi ya ziada ya kujitoa mhanga kupigana "kiume" na hatimaye kuyashinda majeshi ya Idi Amin Dada akisaidiwa na Muammar Gaddafi. Hata ilipofika mwezi wa Aprili, 1979 na Idi Amin Dada alipopoteza udhibiti wa nchi ya Uganda aliamua "kuikimbia" Uganda na kituo chake cha kwanza kilikuwa Libya (kwa Muamar Gaddafi) na alipewa "hifadhi" ya muda na baadaye kwenda "uhamishoni" nchini Saudi Arabia (alikoishi hadi kufa kwake akiwa Jeddah).

Kwa wasomaji na "wanabidii" na wengine wanaomtazama Muammar Gaddafi kwa kusahau "aliyoyafanya" dhidi ya kumsaidia Idi Amin Dada kuendesha vita na Tanzania nadhani wana wajibu wa kujiuliza masuala haya (hii ni pamoja na Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania ambayo inawajibu wa kusema ukweli):

1. Wamesahau "hadithi" hii ya Vita vya Kagera? Au, vita hivi vilikuwa "propaganda" ya kisiasa?

2. Gaddafi alidhamiria nini kumsaidia Idi Amin Dada aliyeapa kuisambaratisha nchi (Tanzania) na kwa kuanzia aliteka Kagera na kuifanya sehemu ya Uganda?

3. Kama Idi Amin Dada wa Uganda alitangazwa "dikteta", "bundi", "joka", "fisi mla watu", na masimulizi mengine ya kutisha (hata ya kula nyama za watu); mtu aliyekuwa akimsaidia mtu wa aina hiyo (kama Gaddafi) anaitwaje?

4. Je, historia ya Vita vya Kagera iliandikwa kwa wino "gani" hadi leo imesahaulika?

5. Au, wote wanaodhani kwamba Muammar Gaddafi ni "shujaa" wa Afrika wamezaliwa miaka ya 1980? Na kwa jinsi hiyo hawajui kilichotokea kati ya miaka ya 1978 na 1979?

Mwisho, siandiki haya katika kuwakumbusha "majonzi" wananchi wa Kagera waliyeuawa kikatili na Idi Amin Dada; siwakumbushi machungu ya kutiwa vilema vya maisha; siwakumbushi madhila ya "kubakwa" wanawake kulikofanywa na askari wa Idi Amin Dada; na wala siwakumbushi jinsi mali zao (mashamba na nyumba) zilizvyoharibiwa na "ushenzi" wa Idi Amin Dada! Nataka niwakumbushe kwamba, "hatuwezi kurudisha nyuma historia; lakini ni wajibu kuisoma ili vizazi vijavyo vipate kumbukizi yenye kujenga mujtamaa wao." Gaddafi alikuwa "rafiki" na wakati huohuo alikuwa "adui" kwa vile alikuwa na "sura mbili ndani ya moja".

Na kwa serikali (iliyoonekana kumuunga mkono); hii ni dhana (binafsi) inawezekana Muammar Gaddafi alilipa sehemu ya "maumivu" ya vita alivyomsaidia rafiki yake mpenzi Idi Amin Dada...kama ndivyo, basi ni vema watuambie! Hatuwezi kusomeshwa historia ya "uongo" juu ya Muammar Gaddafi kumbe "mtu" huyu (yaani Gaddafi) alikuwa "mtu mwema" na kiongozi "mzuri" kuliko hata Mzee Mandela na Mwalimu Nyerere...naomba tuwe "wakweli" na kwa kusisitiza: UKWELI UTATUWEKA HURU; KAMA GADDAFI ALIKUWA RAFIKI WA AFRIKA KWA NINI ALIMSAIDIA IDI AMIN DADA KUTUPIGA? TAFAKARI SEMA UKWELI JAPOKUWA UKWELI WENYEWE NI DHIDI YA NAFSI YAKO!

Bakari M Mohamed, BBA[PLM], CPSP[T], MSc (PSCM)

Rais Obama Atuma Wanajeshi Uganda!

Nilipokuwa mwandishi wa habari Daily News miaka ya 1990's niliwahi kuhudhuria reception Ubalozi wa Marekani Dar. Kuna mgeni  kutoka serikali ya USA ambaye alilewa. Katika ulevi wake alisema kuwa hakuna haja ya Marekani kuingilia hizi migogoro za Afrika.  Wache waafrika wauane mpaka wachoke wenyewe.  Tulishangaa. Lakini tumeona walivyokaa mbali Rwanda na Burundi, Congo, Liberia na nchi zingine. Jana, Walitangaza kuwa Rais Obama ametuma wanajeshi 100 kwenda kusaidia kuondoa huyo mgaidi Joseph Kony na Lords Resistance Army huko Uganda. Kuna nini mpaka Marekani wameamua kuingilia? 

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Why is the U.S. sending its troops to finish off a fractured band of bush fighters in the middle of Africa? Political payback for the quiet sacrifices of Uganda's troops in Somalia could be one reason.

President Barack Obama announced Friday he is dispatching about 100 U.S. troops - mostly special operations forces - to central Africa to advise in the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army - a guerrilla group accused of widespread atrocities across several countries. The first U.S. troops arrived Wednesday.
 
Long considered one of Africa's most brutal rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army began its attacks in Uganda more than 20 years ago. But the rebels are at their weakest point in 15 years. Their forces are fractured and scattered, and the Ugandan military estimated earlier this year that only 200 to 400 fighters remain. In 2003 the LRA had 3,000 armed troops and 2,000 people in support roles.

But capturing LRA leader Joseph Kony - a ruthless and brutal thug - remains the highest priority for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a 25-year-leader who has committed thousands of troops to the African Union force in Somalia to fight militants from al-Shabab, a group with ties from al-Qaida.
 The U.S. has not had forces in Somalia since pulling out shortly after the 1993 Black Hawk Down battle in Mogadishu in which 18 American troops died, raising the possibility that military advisers in Uganda could be payback for U.S.-funded Ugandan troops in Somalia.

"I've been hearing that. I don't know if our group necessarily agrees with that, but it definitely would make sense," said Matt Brown, a spokesman for the Enough Project, a U.S. group working to end genocide and crimes against humanity, especially in central Africa.

   "The U.S. doesn't have to fight al-Qaida-linked Shabab in Somalia, so we help Uganda take care of their domestic security problems, freeing them up to fight a more dangerous - or a more pressing, perhaps - issue in Somalia. I don't know if we would necessarily say that but it's surely a plausible theory," Brown said.

Col. Felix Kulayigye, Uganda's military spokesman, told The Associated Press previously that Ugandan forces have long received "invaluable" support from the U.S. military, including intelligence sharing, in the fight against the LRA.

That support got a huge boost this week.

  Though the deployment of 100 troops is relatively small, it marks a possible sea-change for Washington in overcoming its reluctance to commit troops to Africa. Even the U.S. Africa Command, which oversees U.S. military operations on the continent, is based in Germany. The U.S. maintains a base in the tiny East African nation of Djibouti, but most troops there are not on combat missions.

The LRA poses no known security threat to the United States, and a report from the Enough Project last year said that Kony no longer has complete and direct command and control over each LRA unit.

 But the group's tactics have been widely condemned as vicious. Few are expected to object to Obama's move to help regional security forces eliminate a group that has slaughtered thousands of civilians and routinely kidnaps children to be child soldiers and sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his group's attacks, which now take place in South Sudan, Congo and the Central African Republic.
 
Still, Bill Roggio, the managing editor of The Long War Journal, called the Obama administration's rationale for sending troops "puzzling," especially since the LRA does not present a national security threat to the U.S. - "despite what President Obama said."

 "The timing of this deployment is odd, especially given the administration's desire to disengage from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan," Roggio said. "It is unclear why the issue has resurfaced, but the administration may be rewarding Uganda" for its military contributions in Somalia, he said.

Obama said that although the U.S. troops will be combat equipped, they will not engage LRA forces unless it is in self-defense.

In recent months, the administration has stepped up its support for Uganda. In June, the Pentagon moved to send nearly $45 million in military equipment to Uganda and Burundi, another country contributing in Somalia. The aid included four small drones, body armor and night-vision and communications gear and is being used in the fight against al-Shabab.

 Last November, the U.S. announced a new strategy to counter the LRA's attacks on civilians. U.S. legislation passed last year with huge bipartisian support calling for the coordination of U.S. diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military efforts against the LRA. That's one reason, Brown said, Obama may be sending in advisers. He said that regional stability is also good for U.S. interests.

  "It really doesn't take that many U.S. resources," Brown said. "You've got 100 troops to go in and take care of the LRA problem once and for all."
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Vijana WaSomali Watoroka Minneapolis kwenda Somalia

Hapa Marekani, watu wanashangaa inakujaje vijana ambao wamelelelewa hapa na kukulia katika maadili ya Marekani wanawezaje kupotoshwa kwenda kupigania Al Qaeda na vita vingine vya ajabu. Someni habari za vijana wa kiSomali walioenda Somalia kupigiana vita na Ethiopia. Minneapolis kuna waSomali wengi sana, wengi wao ni wakimbizi walokuja kuanza maisha mapya.

Mnaweza kuona video ya Training yao kwa kubofya HAPA:

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A group of Minneapolis-area Somalis, including some who traveled to their homeland to allegedly take up arms against the Ethiopian army, held secret meetings in 2007 to plan the trips, created fake itineraries to fool family members and challenged one another about their commitment, prosecutors contend in a court filing.

The document was filed this week in advance of a trial for one man accused of being part of the conspiracy.

It sheds new light on how the recruiting operation worked in Minneapolis and how some of the men arrived at safehouses in Somalia, where they received AK-47s and weapons training.

Since the fall of 2007, at least 21 men have left Minnesota for Somalia, where authorities believe they joined the terror group al-Shabab. Eighteen people have been charged in Minnesota in connection with the case, including Omer Abdi Mohamed, who goes on trial next week on terror-related charges.

Mohamed never traveled to Somalia, but he is accused of helping others who did. His attorney calls the allegations ridiculous.

"Omer was never involved in terrorism," said defense attorney Peter Wold. "It certainly stirs the public sentiment to suggest that, but it is not part of this case, not a part of Omer, and that will be abundantly clear."

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator and then turned on each other, causing chaos in the African nation of about 7 million people.

In 2006, Ethiopian soldiers, which many Somalis viewed as abusive, occupied parts of Somalia and a militant group called al-Shabab fought against against them. The U.S. declared al-Shabab a terrorist organization in early 2008.

According to prosecutors, starting in September 2007, Mohamed and others conspired to raise money to send men to Somalia to violently oust the Ethiopians. Others were also recruited to the cause. The group held meetings at mosques and restaurants, and took measures to keep things secretive.

"The defendant and his conspirators strove to keep the plan secret, reminding members not to discuss it with anyone outside of the conspiracy, and policing entry into the group," prosecutors said.
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Mohamed and others went to malls and apartments, falsely telling members of the Somali community they were raising money to build a mosque or help relief efforts in Somalia, prosecutors said. The money actually went to the travelers, who planned to join one group member's relative - a senior member of al-Shabab - in Somalia.

Prosecutors said Mohamed used a contact at a local travel agency to get airline tickets. Members of the group allegedly gave one traveler a false itinerary to mislead his family.

The group also kept two recruits from leaving Minnesota in the fall of 2007 because they were too young, and decided their disappearance would draw attention to the plan, the document said.

The document said Mohamed and another man stayed behind to provide financial support to the travelers. It also says Mohamed advised his coconspirators to listen to a lecture by radical Muslim leader Anwar al-Awlaki about the path to jihad, and that at least one person did.

"They challenged members of the conspiracy who had planned to travel, questioning their commitment, dedication, and knowledge of both the religion and events in Somalia, before ultimately assisting them with the trip," the document said.

Prosecutors said the conspiracy includes men in Minneapolis, and men and women in Somalia. In Minneapolis, the conspiracy focused on traveling and funding trips and in Somalia, it focused on the use of safe-houses and weapons training, prosecutors said.

The document said some of the men went to Somalia through Saudi Arabia or through Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and eventually met each other and went to safe-houses. Some Minneapolis men helped clear brush for a training camp, and some participated in a July 2008 ambush of Ethiopian troops along a road in Somalia - the preparations and the ambush were filmed as part of a propaganda video.

Prosecutors say in that video, a man from Minneapolis encourages more men to join the fighters in Somalia.
Mohamed's trial starts on Tuesday with jury selection.