A Macabre Exhibit: Ugandan President

Museveni’s Public Display of the Luwero

Triangle War’s Human Remains
Onek C. Adyanga

389 ‘The repeated decision of Museveni’s NRM/A regime to

exhibit the Luwero Triangle War’s human remains undermines any prospects for building a
united
Uganda based on genuine truth telling and reconciliation.’

390 ‘This paper examines the struggle to accurately present public history and historical
memory in view of Museveni’s transformation of the Luwero Triangle deaths into a practical
political tool’ but this idea of being able to ‘accurately present public history’, or any kind of
history, is a fallacy. History is not what happened in the past, but how the present constructs the
past. It does not exist in its own right.

390 ‘Museveni has infused these exhibits with powerful self-serving emotive narratives’.

390 ‘Museveni started the symbolic manipulation of exhibits by installing his statue, without
genuine parliamentary discussions, at the military training facility that he attacked on February 6,
1981, sparking the Luwero Triangle War’ the idea tht the whole thing has been symbolic from the
start – Museveni continues to use this idea that he has been the only leader capable of bringing
peace to Uganda and justifies his dictatorship through this.

390 especially demonises those from northern Ug.

390 ‘There is an urgent need to establish an independent commission of inquiry equipped with
the tools of forensic science to carefully examine the Luwero Triangle human remains in an effort
to construct a veritable narrative of the war (Moser, 2010).’

391 ‘Buganda perceived the adverse successive coups against their kinsmen as the
continuation of alienation and humiliation that started with President Obote in the mid-1960s.’
Yusuf Lule and Binaisa had their presidencies disrupted in the post-Amin environment, who were
both Baganda ethnicity.

391 obote as ‘Buganda’s nemesis’ (never forgiven for exiling Kabaka Mutesa to London and
abolishing their monarchy), wheeas Amin was embraced by Baganda.

392 the NRM basically forcibly evacuated the Luwero area in order to use the residents as
human shields against Obote’s UNLA onslaught. This led to starvation, there was lack of medicine,
people were wandering in the bush for weeks. Inevitably, mass deaths ensued. This al happening
in 1980/1981?

390-391 = the history of it. Key to refer back to.

392 ‘the available opportunity for a forensic examination was lost when Museveni ordered the
Luwero people to assist the NRM/A in exhuming the human remains from the 30 mass graves.’
WHY did this exhumation take place? To destroy forensic evidence? So it cannot be known
whether NRM or UNLA created the mass graves? Were the dead civilians or combtants?

393 describes this policy of exhumation: ‘the cruel and crude NRM/A policy to haphazardly
collect human remains’.

393 ‘An elder from Buganda observes: “when I saw the exhibit of human remains, I felt sad for
it is anti-Baganda tradition to put on public display human remains. Our culture respects the
dignity and rights of the deceased for a peaceful and descent burial. We utterly reject any form of
displaying human remains” (Conversation I, 2013).’

393 museveni refuses to have inquiry into luwero triange deaths

395 Museveni in response to human rights enquiries coming from Europe: ‘A selected group of
NRM youths were assembled to heckle the diplomats at Nakaseke. The NRM/A youth hecklers
jeered: They tell lies, false propaganda, trying to turn black into white about human rights in
Uganda and these (ambassadors) become the loudspeakers (Ibid)’ (Mukasa 2006). Interesting
issue of human rights – western notions imposed. A much covered topic though.

395 lots of back and forth ith NRM and UNLA accusing each other of the massacres. See Obote’s
notes on the concealment of genocide. Suggestions and reports that soldiers were mixing uniforms
and dressing in half civilian clothes – a very messy situation. See McIlroy’s daily telegraph report

395 on the contemporary/recent opposition of Museveni and Besigye: ‘Besigye and other
former members of the NRM/A high command who fought alongside Museveni against the UNLA
were blamed for the Luwero Triangle atrocities. Yet these military commanders were firsthand
witnesses to the deaths and destruction of the war Museveni launched after losing the election to a
DP candidate’ Besigye was former physician to Museveni during the civil war.

397 the war in the north has been ethnicised by Museveni, so it is a problem of only Acholi,
Langi and Iteso, rather than a national problem (Mwenda 2004). Some radio stations also ran
adverts showing northern soldiers torturing and killing people at roadblocks, newspapers had
adverts of skulls – linking people of the north to Obote or Kony to incite fear and demonization of
northerners.

398 ‘the longer the war perpetrated in Acholil and was prolonged by Museveni’s NRM/A, the
more the Acholi people were blamed for the Luwero Triangle deaths.’ Rather than seeing Acholi as
valid and formidable political opponents.

399 ‘There was ongoing genocide against the Acholi people, political oppositions of the NRM/A
regime, in northern Uganda.’ – overlooked by UN and others, who were focusing on Darfur at the
time.

400 ‘Mass deaths, deception and violence disguised as concern for the sanctity and protection
of life, are necessary for NRM/A legitimacy to govern’ the NRM’s rule is dependent upon them
being perceived as different to previously violent regimes.