By Ndawula Ronald
The whole world is tense, grappling and reeling in economic turmoil over the Ukraine-Russia war happening now in a war of ego and prestige as belligerent sides Russia and European allies led by Britain and United States are showcasing military advancement and innovations which have been stored and prepared for years as in anticipation for this duel.
Since the end of the cold war and eventual break up of the Soviet Union under President Gorbachev, a simmering hatred has never died down and always manifests its ugly head between Russia under Putin and United States.
Putin’s idea of reunification of Russia to regain its former Soviet era status, glory and boundaries a move the US doesn’t wish to happen for military, and economic strategic reasons.
Putin first on the list wants to annex Ukraine and started by Crimea and moving westward.
The alliance of Europe and US decided to take sides not to allow this to happen and hence the war.
On seeking a United Nations mandate to repulse Russia from Ukraine, several countries took sides for and against the resolution and that’s where Uganda under Museveni and other 16 African countries abstained and decided to play a neutral role.
President Museveni for a while has been losing love of the west because of their kin interests in the dwindling human rights record and governance issues a factor Russia and its allies China don’t care about.
Musevenis over stay in Power also makes him reach a point where he thinks he can counter the power of the western powers as he said on his swearing in speech that if the African block had organised well , Libyas’ Gaddafi would not have fallen!
He also faulted Saddam Hussein for not being a very good organiser and further warned that one day the west will find a more organised fighter and they shall regret.
Apart from the act of abstaining from the crucial UN vote President Museveni has taken it a notch higher by hosting the Russian foreign Minister Lavrov and Museveni indicated his support for Russia, willingness to buy Russian oil and how he won’t be used to fight other peoples wars as an Idiot.
Museveni has reached the very point where Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein found themselves.
They had stayed in power forever and believed they had ultimate power and wealth to subdue anything that can challenge their power.
These two men with oil rich countries in their ultimate control, envisaged themselves the Alpha and Omega of their people.
Gaddafi sought to become President of a United Africa and financed single handedly thousands of projects across Africa and Saddam Hussein went to annex the oil rich kingdom of Kuwait with American interests.
Saddam Hussein declared the mother of wars and Gaddafi was accused of financing terror cells and financed the bombing in 1986 of a discotheque in West Berlin and planned the bombing in 1988 of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland which killed 270 passengers on board.
Sanctions were applied to these countries but because of their vast wealth they didn’t cause much impact to their countries.
During the Iraq war, America in the pretext of looking for Weapons of mass destruction, President George Bush declared a new American policy which had never been clearly stated that, YOU’RE EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US.
In the foregoing, after the departure of Sergey Lavrov, United states is sending its 2nd top most diplomat M/s Elizabeth Green the permanent ambassador to the United nations to meet the President of the banana republic of Uganda, civil society organisations and those countries visited by Lavrov and reiterate the US position on Russia.
To the west, Museveni is turning into a traitor and using his leverage gained by running the errands of the US and the west in the region against the very people who promoted him.
Uganda has before received vital military support in American trainings and cash for security missions in Somalia, and it’s for that, he is been handled with kid gloves in regards to human rights concerns echoed in all circles and ignored by the west.
By the debut of the Iraq war, President Saddam Hussein who was initially an American allie in its war with Iran in the 80’s had over 700 battle ready aircraft to counter the United states but unfortunately in less than 2 months Saddam’s regime was history and in 9 months Saddam was caught hiding in a cave south of Tikrit and hanged on 30th December of the same year.
Gaddafi’s life was also terminated when the allies bombed his convoy in his home village of Sirte and was captured hiding in a water drain and eventually killed.
President Musevenis idea of going against the interests of the Americans and NATO allies is a costly one and he should be ready for the consequences.
When you become a security threat to the interests of the west especially by pivoting and forging alliance with their arch rivals Russia you’re deliberately trudging into something very delicate , and costly.
There’s no day the Americans will fight Uganda because it’s not feasible.
President Museveni knows this because he said they’re superior on all 4 parameters of Air, Sea, land and space.
What the Americans do is to sponsor civil unrest like they did in Syria, Libya, Iraq , Egypt Iran and now in Russia.
Musevenis power now lies in paying and material offers and neutralising opposition and dissent but should be very careful by the lacklustre attitude the Americans are portraying towards the Uganda government relationship with it’s chief antagonist Russia.
Diplomatically Americans will never show how cross(annoyed) they were about Musevenis unequivocal support to Russia but for sure it rubbed them on the wrong side and soon they will do what they do best and what they have been doing for generations, paid hefty bills over time and that is sabotaging Russia, its sympathisers and allies.
Ndawula Ronald, the author is a former chairperson of Luwero district
