VZCZCXRO3687
RR RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHKM #0687 1821325
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 011325Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1554
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KAMPALA 000687 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/19 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM UG
SUBJECT: UGANDAN REBEL GROUP: MAKING MOUNTAINS OUT OF 
MOLEHILLS 
 
REF: A. KAMPALA 679 
     ¶B. KAMPALA 595 
     ¶C. KAMPALA 587 
 
Classified By: P/E Chief Kathleen FitzGibbon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d 
). 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Ugandan media attention to the arrests of 
low-level participants in a nascent rebel group in northern 
Uganda continues to spin out of control, more an indication 
of lack of government coordination and poison politics than 
any real threat to national security.  Government officials 
continue to assure us that Ugandan diaspora based in Kenya, 
Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom remain 
their primary target, not locally-based politicians. 
However, the independent media cannot resist stirring the 
proverbial pot and the Government, now in reactive mode, is 
taking the bait due to its lack of an overall strategy or 
strong investigative techniques.  We expect this story to 
continue to take unnecessary twists and turns, largely 
because the key players distrust each other and are too 
short-sighted and politicized to take steps to diffuse the 
confusion.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Post previously reported on the discovery of weapons 
caches associated with a diaspora-backed nascent rebel group 
in reftels.  The Government learned of the group after 
picking up one of its low- level operatives for other 
suspected criminal activities.  He confessed to being part of 
the new group and implicated others.  Further interviews 
resulted in the uncovering of caches of weapons and supplies. 
 As previously reported, the security services had planned to 
use the low-level participants to publicly "out" various 
members of the Acholi diaspora for continuing to support the 
overthrow of the government.  The government was forced to 
charge the participants with treason after the wife of one 
suspect obtained a court order for him to be produced in 
court.  The government, now off whatever game plan it had, 
began reacting to press inquiries through its Army Spokesman 
rather than having a well-thought out public strategy. 
 
¶3.  (C)  For its part, the press, including the salacious and 
politically-motivated Red Pepper tabloid, have taken liberty 
with the facts, playing on the extreme mistrust between the 
government and northerners to stoke the political angles of 
the issues.  The Government-owned New Vision also joined the 
fray.  One of its reporters, allegedly an employee of the 
External Security Organization, leaked information linking a 
prominent Catholic bishop and Gulu District Chairman Norbert 
Mao to the rebel group.  Mao, who had been out of the country 
for almost a month, arrived in Kampala to see his name linked 
to the group in the press.  Mao decided to use his weekly 
column to "be above board" on the issue.  (Note: The column 
appeared in the New Vision on June 29.  End Note.)  He told 
P/E Chief on June 30 that he had not been contacted by any 
government or security service official about the alleged 
plot.  He decided to go public with what he knows about the 
group.  He said he may title his next column "There is no 
room for insurgency in northern Uganda."  Mao added that 
unfortunately other "politicians hide behind politics" and 
while they oppose armed insurgency, they dislike Museveni to 
the extent that they would never condemn rebellion.  (Note: 
Mao was referring to the Acholi Parliamentary Group members, 
which rushed to the press to declare their innocence when 
they had not been accused of involvement.  End Note.) 
 
¶4.  (C)  Comment: We expect this saga to continue, stoked by 
media houses, poorly-informed "investigative" reporters, and 
an uncoordinated government message.  The media feeding 
frenzy, combined with poor coordination within the security 
service and opportunism, has resulted in the incident to be 
blown out of proportion for political purposes with no one in 
control of its path.  If past patterns hold, the eleven 
low-level operatives will pay the price in a lengthy, and 
unnecessary, court case while political wrangling diverts 
attention from the original focus of the investigation: the 
diaspora.  Stay tuned. 
BROWNING