By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE:Velaphi Mamba,a highly regarded eSwatini human rights defender says the decision by the United States(US) Government to impose sanctions on five(5) former and current Ugandan Government officials including ex-Deputy Army Commander Peter Elwelu is an indication that, emaSwati will also receive justice for the 29th June 2021 killing of civilians and/or atrocities committed by the King’s Tinkhundla regime.

Human Rights Watch reported this week that,on the 30th May 2024, the US government announced travel sanctions against five(5) former and current Ugandan government officials,including Peter Elwelu,the former Deputy Chief of the Ugandan Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF). 

“The US State Department announced that Elwelu was sanctioned due to “extrajudicial killings that were committed by members of the UPDF” while he was commanding Ugandan military forces. As a result, he and the other officials will be ineligible for entry into the United States.The Human Rights Watch has documented that on November 26, 2016, after years of tension between the Ugandan government and the Rwenzururu kingdom in western Uganda, soldiers under then-Brigadier Elwelu’s command stormed the kingdom’s administration offices in Kasese town and killed at least nine people. Later that day, at least 32 civilians and 14 police died amid clashes.The following day, the army raided the palace of Charles Mumbere, the king of the Rwenzururu kingdom. They arrested him and scores of others, including children, and transferred them more than 400 kilometers away to a police station often used to detain terrorism suspects.There, the military severely beat and interrogated many of those detained before charging them with treason,terrorism,and murder.We found that at least 155 people, including children,died over the two days.The Ugandan government has not carried out an independent investigation into the security forces’ actions during the November 2016 events and have failed to identify those responsible or hold anyone to account.Official government statistics have also given inconsistent casualty figures”, reads the Human Rights Watch reportin part, released this week.

On another note,Velaphi Mamba,the eSwatini human rights defender urged emaSwati not to lose hope as the eSwatini sanctions will eventually be implemented.

“What happened in Uganda where high profile individuals have been sanctioned by the United States for extrajudicial killings,brings hope that, emaSwati will eventually receive justice for the June 29 killings”, said the eSwatini human rights defender.

The US recently passed Resolution 174 that seeks to impose targeted sanctions on eSwatini human rights violators.