He noted that in the past, there has been a belief that security agencies are enemies of the media while the media too are the enemies of the security, a concept he says is being addressed with the transformation of the army into a professional force.
UPDF soldiers from the fourth infantry division headquarters take part in a procession to mark the 44th Tarehe Sita anniversary in Gulu City on February 6 2025.
The Fourth Infantry Division Commander Maj Gen Felix Busizoori
has attributed the tense relationship between the army and the media over the
past years over unprofessionalism within the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).
While Gen Busizoori also faulted some media personalities and
media houses for exhibiting bias in their reporting leading to strained
relationships, he acknowledged that the army in the past had many unprofessional
personnel.
Gen Busizoori made the remarks Friday in Gulu City while
addressing stakeholders at the Fourth Infantry Division Headquarters during the
celebration to mark the 44th Tarehe Sita anniversary.
He noted that in the past, there has been a belief that security
agencies are enemies of the media while the media too are the enemies of security, a concept he says is being addressed with the transformation of the
army into a professional force.
//Cue in: “There has been…
Cue in:…before is history.”//
Gen Busizoori shared experiences in the past during the
operation iron fist in Northern Uganda in which the UPDF fought to flush out the
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels citing that at some points, the army was
misrepresented by the media. He alleged that such reports created tension
between the army and media leading to poor working relationships but noted that
after the war ended, the army embarked on training their personnel.
//Cue in: “During the iron fist…
Cue out:…is now professional.”//
He lauded the media personnel in the Sub-region for their
work and pledged to have a cordial working relationship.
Gen Busizoori also noted that the army remains subordinate to
civil authority citing that there is no way they can presume to take control of
the civilians.
“We must listen to you, I think if we start torturing you, we
would have gone in the wrong direction,” he said.
According to a report released by the African Center for
Media Excellence (ACME) in September 2023 titled “Systematic Threats to
Journalists, Activists, and Freedom of Expression”, a total of 21 journalists
suffered injuries resulting from assaults in their line of duty between August
2022 and August 2023. The figure was the highest among victims of media freedom
violations in the country in just a year.
Alfred Okwonga, the Gulu City Council Mayor while addressing
stakeholders emphasized the need for the army to use the occasion to foster sustainable
development through eradicating poverty out of the Acholi Sub-region.
“I would like to appeal to the men in uniform to work tirelessly
in kicking poverty out of Uganda. The same way you have liberated the country,
it should be the same way you kick out poverty,” said Okwonga.
Okwonga also stressed his concerns on the promotion of
education as another sustainable approach to boosting development in the sub-region
and called for collective support of the army and other stakeholders towards
the course.
The 44th Tarehe Sita anniversary in Gulu City was marked with
a six-kilometre procession by the army accompanied by Police, Prison, local
government, political party and security officials from Gulu City, and
neighbouring districts of Gulu, Amuru and Nwoya.
Shortly after the procession, a
friendly football match was held between the media personnel from Gulu City
under the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) and the soldiers from the Fourth
Infantry Division headquarters at the army playground in Bardege-Layibi
Division. The match ended 1-0 in favour of the army.
Annually on February 6, the Uganda People’s Defence Force
(UPDF) commemorates the launch of the National Resistance Army’s (NRA)
liberation struggle that commenced on February 6, 1981, a five-year rebellion
that ushered in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) led government under President
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
This year’s national celebration was held Thursday in Kasasa
Playgrounds in Kyotera District under the theme “Celebrating Pan-African
Solidarity and the Peoples’ Sacrifice in Struggle for Freedom and Democracy for
Socio-economic Transformation,”.
