{UAH} FROM TEARGAS TO SUKHOI JETS…HOW THE STATE MAY RESPOND TORIOTS

By Joel Isabirye

FROM TEARGAS TO SUKHOI JETS…HOW THE STATE MAY RESPOND TO RIOTS

The riots of today and any others planned could be handled harshly because the state thinks that Western interests might be trying to create an Arab Spring here. Thus, the state takes this as an act of war against foreign aggression not a clamp down of citizens in ordinary protest.

The state believes that since the amendment of the age-limit in 2017, some western interests have tried to change the regime through other means. And the state thinks that while he may have his own political ambitions, Bobi Wine is being used as a pawn in this scheme because he is a youthful icon and these foreign interests think he can rally the youth to riot towards changing government.

Sources in the state continue to say that they have evidence some of which includes the arrest of some PhD students from Western countries who have been doing some mobilization of the youth to riot. Some of these students, the sources say, were arrested in Northern Uganda. In fact, new and more stringent policies that govern foreign researchers here are in the offing.

The last student's strike at Makerere University was also thought of by state actors to fit in the nexus of that attempt to ferment an Arab Spring. That was the reason why the police rushed in and harshly handled students, as a deterrent.

Moreover, sources in the state say, many of the striking students were not students, but had been mobilized from town by behind the scenes actors to stimulate a nationwide uprising of students, starting at Makerere.

So, for any riots coming up in the next few days, weeks or months, expect more fire from the state.

That feeling within the state that western interests are trying to destabilize the country or cause regime change might explain why the state was very reluctant or delayed or was lukewarm to respond to requests for accreditation as election observers made by the European Union

One question that lingers then is, what explains that America is suspected, in fact is perceived to be in the lead role in this effort to destabilize the country, yet the Trump administration has not seemed interested in interfering in the affairs of African countries, the way his predecessors did. Now the state believes that the bureaucracy in the United States sometimes acts outside the policy orientations of the White House. In fact, some state actors here say, if some of the bureaucracy in the United States has been subversive towards Trump, then they could pursue their own agenda of trying to destabilize other countries.

Today I saw military trucks, gear and mounted guns that I had not seen UPDF bring out of barracks for as long as I have lived in Kampala.

We might see Sukhoi fighter jets from the UPDF Airforce coming into town tomorrow, flying sorties over Kisekka Market, Mutaasa Kafeero and other arcades, if those riots continue.

Why? Because as mentioned above, state actors and the security forces in particular strongly believe that they are not fighting people on the streets or Robert Kyagulanyi, but are battling a foreign invisible hand trying to create regime change of a legitimate regime by fermenting riots. In fact, one state actor told me this evening that this time the riots seemed coordinated across different towns, something that could not be assumed to be sporadic.

Everyone can choose whether to believe these claims made by state actors or not, but participating in riots might not be a good idea…never know how it will end.

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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