The editorial by eTurboNews correspondence Tony Ofungi, who also owns the Gorilla information travel company in the Pearl of Africa, explains the story of the war on terror behind the Uganda LGBTQ bill.
About a week ago, the Ugandan AMISOM contingent based in Somalia was attacked by the radical Alshabab Islamists. Uganda suffered heavy losses. Some Ugandan soldiers were captured.
The propaganda arm of Alshabab shared images such as those above.
It described the UPDF Ugandan soldiers as invading crusaders.
Anti-LGBTQ Bill in Uganda
Following Uganda’s President’s signing of the Anti-LGBTQ Bill, US President Biden ordered a review of aid to Uganda worth perhaps $ 1.3 billion.
Somalia Connection
In 1993 abhorred by scenes of dead US Marines being dragged on the streets of Mogadishu in the “Black Hawk Down” debacle, the US pulled out of direct engagements in Africa, preferring to train and finance African troops in proxy engagements on the continent.
The result was the assemblage of contingents from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi under the aegis of AMISOM, but in reality, the United States.
The” War on Terror”
In the last 20 years, Africa has made enormous sacrifices by putting boots on the ground. Uganda has the largest contingent in Somalia.
Gains have been made, with Somalia now having a semblance of a government.
US citizens can now sleep peacefully without worrying too much about terrorists or scenes they saw in 1993.
The US support for conservation and in the health sector in Uganda has been phenomenal, with support of the canine unit in Murchison Falls National Park to combat poaching and wildlife crimes, trenches to prevent elephants from straying into communities causing human-wildlife conflict, and support to combat Ebola and Covid in the recent past which was widely reported on eTurboNews.
No one deserves to die for being LGBTQ.
No one deserves to die for being LGBTQ, but several Africans have sufficiently advanced arguments against the victimization of Uganda for standing for our values.
Sex is a private matter, and we would frown even at straight persons in public display, which was the root of contention for the bill.
It has been challenged in the Uganda Constitutional Court premised on human rights violations.
The impression being created by LGBTQ apologists is that Uganda is on fire and, therefore, no tourists should dare visit.
Now even the economic migrants shall start pouring onto the beaches of Lampedusa in droves claiming LGBTQ persecution.
Sadly the biggest victims shall be the reversal of gains made from conservation efforts and the rangers and their families struggling to put food on the table by protecting our wildlife and habitats.
The tour and travel industry, whose revenues trickle down to communities and other value chain sectors, shall suffer too.
The health sector cannot afford to be underfunded, too, lest we end up in another potential lockdown.
The Covid pandemic was proof enough of that.No country lives in isolation in this global world.
The U.S. cannot pull the plug on Uganda.
The United States cannot (and good Ol’Joe knows that) afford to pull the plug on Uganda’s wholesale just because of the bill.
Even Uganda President General Yoweri Museveni knows that.
But he also knows the passions of the electorate, and despite appending his signature to the bill, he has confidence in the Constitutional Court to pass objective judgment.
Would we rather see another “Black Hawk Down” and Trump back in the White House in 2024?
Your guess is as good as mine!
Tony Ofungi, eTurboNews Uganda
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The US support for conservation and in the health sector in Uganda has been phenomenal, with support of the canine unit in Murchison Falls National Park to combat poaching and wildlife crimes, trenches to prevent elephants from straying into communities causing human-wildlife conflict, and support to combat Ebola and Covid in the recent past which was widely reported on eTurboNews.
- But he also knows the passions of the electorate, and despite appending his signature to the bill, he has confidence in the Constitutional Court to pass objective judgment.
- Sadly the biggest victims shall be the reversal of gains made from conservation efforts and the rangers and their families struggling to put food on the table by protecting our wildlife and habitats.
