Terrorism has been off our major news outlets for some time. Of course there were mentions due to memories of the October 2010 attacks in Kampala Rugby Grounds and Kabalagala Ethiopian Restaurant on the night of the World Cup finals. Then came the news that the UK government had warned of impending terrorist attacks on Uganda. Still no significant steps were taken by the security organs to raise the level of national alertness. Then Komamboga happened. A bar cum pork joint was the site of an explosion attributed to an Improvised Explosive Device. Then there was an explosion in a bus enroute to Bushenyi belonging to Swift Safaris. These two incidents jolted the country and reminded us that we still live in a tough neighborhood and that terrorism is alive and well amidst us and only the scale may have reduced. The lesson was clear. Uganda cannot afford to relax it’s response (defensive and aggressive) when it comes to terrorism.
It is thus the duty of the government to put terrorism on top of the political agenda. The aim is not only to stop the violence that terrorists carry out but also to build durable peace. Stopping violence seems to be the major focus. This is done through military interventions and the arrest, detention and prosecution of suspects. The building of durable peace usually recedes to the background when military interventions take the lead.
This lack of balance in priorities is not a problem unique to Uganda. Military interventions by various actors in the name of responding to terrorism in countries as far flung as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, have not only failed to stop violence but have also failed to build durable peace. Military interventions tend to be short in focus and come with disregard for human rights and the needs of refugees. The overbearing focus on treating terrorism as a purely military problem tend to ironically make room for abuses of human rights and corruption. These in turn promote bad governance and widespread discontent. These two are the key drivers of terrorist violence.
It is our view that even as the government focuses on public safety from violence, there is also need to deal with the drivers of terrorism by promoting development and political reforms that address the political grievances of the population. In other words the factors that drive terrorism must be tackled head on.
Terrorism threatens security, peace and stability. Without these three, human rights will not be respected and socio-economic development will stagnate. Terrorism tears asunder the threads of values that hold together the fabric of society. Key among the values is the package of fundamental human rights that the State is supposed to guarantee.
A society where there is no room to agree to disagree cannot long endure. In an intolerant society terrorism tends to be associated with those who disagree with the political status quo or minority groups seeking to be heard. So even as we combat terrorism, we have to understand that terrorist suspects do not work in a vacuum. There are political, social and economic factors that give rise to conditions in which terrorist organizations recruit and gain support. All parasites need hosts and terrorist organizations are no different.
A polarized society with no deeply rooted consensus about what it means to belong to that society will naturally be a fertile recruiting ground. Long term unresolved political grievances and weak institutions that are incapable of resolving conflicts also tend to invite those who thrive on fishing in troubled waters.
By troubled waters we mean issues that undermine the legitimacy of the State. The broken promises that have defined our journey since independence require a healing balm. This healing balm must be a combination of constitutional reforms, a national truth and reconciliation process and an inclusive national dialogue. These are the measures that will lead to a new national consensus and thus inoculate the country against opportunistic overtures by terrorist organizations. It is our conclusion that no strategy to combat terrorism can succeed unless the factors that drive terrorism are also dealt with.
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