Is green why black killed brown?

 

 

The attacks on establishments owned by Indians and other Asians in Uganda, which have left at least one dead and more than a dozen injured, are none else than an extension of the policies of Idi Amin in the 1970s. The latest attacks were sparked by a demonstration against plans to fell parts of the Mabira Forest for sugarcane production, which turned violent. Mobs led by opposition leaders Betty Kamya, Jimmy Akena, Hussein Kyanjo and Beatrice Atim carried placards sporting slogans like ‘Asians should go’ and ‘For one tree cut, five Indians dead’. They attacked Asians and their property, stoning one Indian to death, smashing the Swaminarayan Hindu temple and setting shops ablaze.

The trigger was when the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) of the Mehta group was keen on using 7,000 hectares, nearly a third of the Mabira Forest Reserve, to expand the plantation. The government, which owns 51% of SCOUL, wanted to fell parts of the reserve, enraging the residents in and around Kampala. Phillip Karugaba, spokesman of the Environmental Action Network, while talking to TSI from Kampala, deplored the violence and stated that the forest is our heritage and cannot be given away by the Ugandan government. TSI tried to contact the officials of SCOUL in Kampala, but no one was willing to talk and emails remain unanswered. Asian businessmen agreed to reopen shops following assurances by the authorities, though they were still sceptical about their safety. Many Asians have fled Uganda to Kenya, while scores of them have sought refuge at the Central Police Station, fearful of racial attacks. Heavily armed police and military personnel are patrolling the streets in Kampala. However, Naren Mehta, leader of the Indian Association of Uganda, while talking to TSI from Kampala, refuted the claims of attacks on Indians. “This is the worst form of journalism. All types of nonsense is being written in Indian papers. Devang Raval died because he got caught in the midst of pelting of stones and it was not murder,” he said.

The attacks on Asians were the bloodiest since 1972, when the then Ugandan military dictator Idi Amin had ordered the mass expulsion of 75,000 South Asians. The attacks on Asian minorities in South Africa and Darfur are proof that Africa and its people still have a long way to go before they are able to challenge the domination of the North. Until then, ideas such as South-South cooperation shall remain confined to the seminar circuit. As far as India is concerned, there is an urgent need for an image makeover.