By Robert Atuhairwe
Body language often communicates much more than verbal delivery and President Yoweri Museveni’s countenance while attending the extraordinary summit of heads- of- state from the 6-member East African Community (EAC) and the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) was very loud. The Ugandan leader looked crestfallen. To me, he sadder than I had ever seen him.
He looked jaded, “lonely” and pensive. Ever since the latest fighting in the Goma area broke out, The Ugandan leader has been noticeably silent, but busy with state duties in Uganda, including conducting performance assessment tours of the Parish Development Model (PDM), the wealth creation program targeting the ordinary Ugandan who was previously out of the money economy.
Everywhere he has been during his tours, he is ebullient and vivacious, cracking his customary jokes loaded with wisdom and vision.
But at Arusha, he was as described above. Why?
Museveni must be very disappointed with the whole outbreak of conflict in this region and the annoying snail pace to address the underlying problems which he, as a senior and experience revolutionary leader, has advised that they can and should be resolved politically. At Arusha, he was the most senior General among the leaders, who were all civilians, save for Burundi’s Evarist Ndayishimiye and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame.
Museveni is a security kingpin, but places peaceful methods like dialogue and political solutions above belligerent means. We have seen enough of gun violence in this part of the world, unless we are unlucky among us having a pact with the devil for more blood streams.
He has been building the ground for such processes only to see a sudden flare of fighting at a time you would expect everyone in this region to have fatigue for violence and carnage, and focusing more on peace building for transformation of the lives of Africans as a whole.
The President always preaches that whether one is Munyamulenge, Mungala, Tutsi, Muganda, Acholi, Kalenjin, Zulu, Chaga or whatever other ethnicity or race, there are irreducible common interests that unite us. The East African Federation and African Integration gospel that occupies his dreams is still falling on rocks and thorns.
Then, instead of meetings pushing these common interest we have “mourning meetings” for those that needn’t die, and to listen to repetitive affirmations and old diagnoses of what needs to be done. The Ugandan leader is correct. These things are draining!
There were some faces at ease the summit. Perhaps, they know something we don’t about the worrying state of affairs but it’s certainly not for celebration and feeling at peace. Photo opportunities and tea parties are hardly what we need at this time.
Citizens are watching. Say no take cycles of violence and endless discussions and double talk.
President Museveni is right to look sad and disappointed. EAC and SADC leaders shouldn’t take these things as business as usual. We need to see resolutions reached at the summit implemented to the letter and for the outcomes to show on the ground. The African’s blood cries out from the wild.
The writer is a promoter of E.A Federation and African Integration agenda
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