The army has Come out to defend their own that the Commander of the Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu, did not issue a warning to Members of Parliament, but only assured them of protection.
“The General was assuring Ugandans of protection, including MPs, but did not warn them,” Lt Col Henry Obbo, the UPDF Land Forces spokesperson, said in a statement sent to New Vision over the weekend.
“The writer twisted Elwelu’s prayer for peace in the world and Uganda, in particular, to allege that he (Elwelu) cited South Sudan as a chaotic country. He never said that and we respect the integrity of other nations,” Obbo added, responding to a story published on Friday
According to a recording Obbo sent to New Vision, Gen. Elwelu, among other things, stated: “For the MPs, you can even go and fight in Parliament. We will always come and help you so that you do not injure yourselves.”
“We normally come to save you. We do not come to kill you because it is bad to see you strangling each other. That is the freedom we brought to this country,” Elwelu said.
He made the remarks on Thursday while presiding over a decoration ceremony for 190 UPDF Land Forces officers in Bombo, Luwero district. The ceremony followed the February promotion of over 2,000 UPDF officers by President Yoweri Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
In his speech, Elwelu also stated that there were some people who were envious of Uganda’s progress.
“Let us work for the good of our country. Many people want to disorganize this country. Many envy us because the progress we have achieved,” he said.
“We have to prepare for them. Those who want to bring us down, we just need to prepare for them and respond decisively,” Gen. Elwelu added.
He said the peace Uganda has achieved was the result of many huge sacrifices. “These achievements, transformation, and freedom did not come from nothing. Many people lost their lives and time to make this country what it is today,” he said.
“We have over one million refugees in this country. They are not here because they want to They are here because there is trouble where they come from and they find Uganda a home. The best home you can ever have in this region,” Elwelu said.
He also decried the rampant violence in the world, saying there is a need to pray hard and ask for God’s intervention.
“We need to pray for this country. You hear of chaos around the world. We need to pray to the creator to ensure peace prevails in this world,” Elwelu said.