The High Court has suspended the trial of the jailed Gen David Sejusa by the General Court martial where he facing five charges related to insubordination and being absent without leave.

Justice Margaret Ouma Oguli ruled that the military court should stay the trial of the former coordinator of Intelligence agencies until his High Court application in which he says that he was constructively discharged from and therefore the charges against him do not count is disposed off.

Sejusa claims that having been denied his salary and other benefits, the withdrawal of his army uniforms, guns, refusal to deploy him, failure to provide him any means of transport, meals and others all were indicative that he was constructively discharged from the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF).

The General was arrested in February and remanded to Luzira prisons by the Court martial whose jurisdiction he is challenging.

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Police has defended the shoot to kill policy applied by its officers and the army against attackers in Kasese last week, saying there was no other alternative to restrain the attackers.

Speaking at a press conference at police headquarters in Naguru today, police spokesperson Mr Fred Enanga said that the attackers posed a clear threat to the men in uniform since they were armed with sticks and stones.

“We have seen people dying from stones, even the mighty Goliath died of a stone, and there is nothing to be taken for granted,” he said.

Commissioner of Police Enanga also cited incidents where civilians have killed armed policemen answering disturbance calls including domestic disturbances, conducting traffic duties, ambushes and hot pursuit of armed robbers, among others.

“Although we have a duty to protect the public from violent attacks and restore order in dangourous and chaotic situations, this makes our job dangerous, especially where persons are physically challenging police officers in the line of duty,” Mr Enanga said adding: “We want to make it very clear that when police or other security officers are performing duties the general public needs to comply and the refusal to comply calls for enforcement actions that include force if necessary.”

Police say the Kasese attacks are based on ethnicity and are tribalistic in nature, but at a press conference held by Rwenzururu fraternity this morning in Kasese, they blamed the attacks purely on post election violence resulting from ‘a mismanaged election’.

Several military and police officers were injured and six of the attackers killed in Kasese last week in what appeared to be an organized and pre-meditated action plan, according to police.

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A former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) minister has been named by police as one of the funders responsible for the recruitment of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels planning to strike Uganda after court pronounces itself on the presidential elections petition filed by former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi, against Yoweri Museveni as president-elect.

According to police, former DRC Foreign Affairs Minister Mbusa Nyamwisi, who is reportedly exiled in South Africa, in cohorts with Rwenzururu King Wesley Mumbere, are facilitating the ADF rebels and also recruiting youth from Kasese and Bundibugyo districts as they prepare to attack military installations to acquire arms and fight the government if the Supreme Court rules in favour of Mr Museveni.

Nyamwisi is a reportedly a strong supporter of king Charles Wesley Mumbere of the Rwenzururu Kingdom in his plans for the creation  of the Yiira state covering the whole of the Rwenzururu sub region and parts of Eastern DRC.

And, in  a statement released by police today, youth in the Rwenzori sub region are being recruited as fighters (Esyamango) and taken to an assembling centre at Bupomboli ground in Karanginzyo Parish, Harugare Sub county in Bundibugyo district, where they are briefed on the reasons of the struggle and given pre-training on how to use bows and arrows.

“From the aforementioned assembling centre, the recruits are taken for further military training by ADF instructors at Masambo and Madina in Ouicha, Beni District in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” the statement signed by police spokesperson Fred Enanga states in part.

Police also says recruits from the DRC enter Uganda through Busunga border and move to Bundibugyo and Kasese to spy on military units where they can acquire arms.

Meanwhile, two local religious leaders have been named as aiding the recruitment process; Pastor Viyato of Christian Fellowship Church in Bundibugyo and Pastor Balam of Nyahuka town are being accused of transporting the recruits to DRC, disguised as Christians going for gospel crusade.

By press time it was not possible to reach Rwenzururu King Mumbere for comment, but his area has of recent been a hotspot, with six people killed in Kasese after engaging in running battles with armed security personnel just three days ago.

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