WASHINGTON, May 2 (UPI) -- After a series of brutal dictatorships dragged Uganda through civil war and to the verge of collapse, the country has largely bounced back to become an African model for stability. The dark pall cast by the regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote in the 1970s and 80s, when half a million people were killed by state-sponsored violence, has been lifted by a firm commitment to human rights and economic reforms under President Yoweri Museveni. Uganda's leader since 1986, Museveni is slated to be sworn-in for a third-term May 12.
On the economic front, Uganda's agriculture sector has thrived thanks to fertile land and an active labor force that has made it Africa's leading coffee producer. Industrial growth has been relatively slow, but government-led reforms have tamed inflation and created an investor-friendly climate that has caught worldwide attention. Uganda has also been a staunch ally of the U.S. in the war on terror, while it continues to battle a homegrown scourge -- the Lord's Resistance Army. A vicious rebel force largely comprised of abducted children, the LRA has massacred thousands of civilians in northern Uganda and displaced an additional 1.6 million over the last 20 years.
In his first interview since assuming his post in Washington, Ambassador Perezi K. Kamunanwire, previously an envoy to Austria and long-time instructor at the City University of New York, spoke with United Press International about Uganda's obstacles past and present, the end of the LRA, and why global partners would better serve mutual interests if they listened rather than just heard.
UPI: Observers often tout Uganda as an African economic miracle. What are the main factors driving the economy at present?
Kamunanwire: Uganda has always had a strong economy, destroyed by bad politics from the mid-60s to 1986. As a matter of fact, by 1986 our inflation rate was 250 percent. And from 1986, through good economic policy and disciplined governance, we have reduced inflation to only 8 percent today. We have been averaging 6.4 percent annual growth, perhaps one of the best in the world. Through investor-friendly policies, Uganda has also developed the best mobile phone system in the world. It is so interesting, at times you find a guy grazing cattle while talking to somebody somewhere in the United States. It's unbelievable. We also have one of the best investment policies in Africa, maybe the world. We don't make visas difficult to acquire. The fee is attractively low. Another incentive for investors is they can come, make their money, and take it abroad if they wish. We have an open capital current account, making us more advanced, in some ways than countries like India and China, which have yet to do so. And our free approach to foreign exchange, without interest, has encouraged even more people to come.
Q: Your defense minister has said he wants to pursue LRA rebels who have retreated to the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a civil conflict that raged on for more than 20 years, why were rebel forces not routed within Uganda?
A: The Lord's Resistance Army (led by Joseph Kony) believes it is fulfilling God's will. But one of the Ten Commandments is thou shall not kill, and Kony, of course, kills his own people, the Acholis. His atrocities are endless. The army has been in the north protecting about 1.6 million people for the last 20 years. If not, these people would have been destroyed. Because the area is vast and sparsely populated it has been easy for the rebels to commit raids and steal children and continue asymmetrical fighting. The LRA has long used the northern border with Sudan, crossing back and forth to attack and retreat. They attack schools, markets and then go back because the border is very porous. They are now in Congo, in Garama National Park. So they are a problem not just for Uganda but for our neighbors. They have raided and killed inside Sudan, the DRC and next, God forbid, inside the Central African Republic -- which is in striking distance. As long as the LRA has some support in the Acholi region it will be difficult to eradicate them. I always give the example of a fish in water: as long as you see a fish somewhere, there must be water around. And as long as there is water, they will survive. This is why the war has taken a long, long time to end. However, we have reduced them, they are on the run, and with the help of our partners we will finish them.
Q: Has the United States been supportive enough in efforts to crush the LRA once and for all? What more is needed?
A: The U.S. has been a very good partner, but sometimes has not understood the problem properly. And perhaps it is our fault that we have not penetrated the American public to educate them about the problems in the north. Whenever the bad images flash before them, whether its the children going to sleep at night or those who have been killed, there is a lot of sympathy, but unfortunately some friends have not fully understood the complexities of our struggle, including a number of NGOs that have pushed for the (U.S.-endorsed) deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force to the north. Of course, this will not be allowed because the Ugandan army is perfectly capable of dealing with the problem. Again, we have spent an enormous amount of money fighting the LRA and protecting the people. It has been a very traumatic struggle for us. If our partners consulted with us instead of dictating their troubles to us, things would be much better.
Q: The inspector general of the Ugandan government recently said 'corruption is here to stay'? How do you respond?
A: Harsh punishment is reserved for people whose dirty hands steal from our cookie jar. There aren't many (cookies) to begin with, so it will be noticed if any are missing. President Museveni has made purging corruption and improving transparency one of his top priorities, and our levels of foreign investment are a testament to outside confidence in our system.
Q: Uganda has become one of the top refugee destinations in Africa. What is the government's stance on the matter and how are displaced persons treated?
A: Uganda fortunately has a plentiful supply of food and is land-rich. We give refugees land to cultivate themselves and allow them to stay as they like. We have always had a flood of refugees; whether they come from Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya -- you name it, they are all Ugandans. And they really feel this way. We are proud to have a very liberal naturalization policy. Our country is all the better because of it.
