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By Oweyegha-Afunaduula
Terrorism is of many types. The most known type of terrorism is that in which the terrorizers use guns, chemical weapons and biological weapons against human and other beings. When the terrorisers are organised and manifest as the State, their type of terrorism is called State Terrorism.
When the terrorised are people, State terrorism involves torture to harm. Many times, State terrorism may result in total disappearance or death of the terrorised. Objects such as fire, acid, electric wires, iron bars, stones and sticks are used. The aim and purpose is not so much to harm and eliminate the terrorised as to generate and proliferate fear and silence among the population and thereby build a docile, inactive, unresponsive citizenry that cannot collectively rise against the oppressor.
There can be State environmental terrorism, State ecological terrorism, State intellectual terrorism, State social terrorism, State cultural terrorism, State food terrorism, State media terrorism, State presidential terrorism and State military terrorism, State police terrorism, State paramilitary terrorism, State Mental and psychological terrorism and State business terrorism.
Let me define these different types of State Terrorism.
State environmental terrorism
“State environmental terrorism” refers to environmental destruction or the threat thereof that breaches national or international laws and exhibits the characteristics of terrorism by the State, potentially targeting natural resources to force political or ideological change.
State ecological terrorism
“State ecological terrorism” refers to acts of environmental destruction or the threat thereof, committed by a state or government, that are intended to instil fear or cause harm to a population, often for political or ideological reasons.
State cultural terrorism
“State cultural terrorism” refers to the use of cultural practices or policies by a state to intimidate, control, or suppress a specific cultural group or population, often through the promotion of a dominant ideology and the marginalization of others. It involves Suppression of minority cultures, Propaganda and indoctrination, Targeted discrimination and Destruction of cultural heritage.
State Food Terrorism
“State food terrorism” refers to the intentional contamination or disruption of food supplies by a state or state-sponsored actors, aiming to cause harm, panic, or economic disruption.
State Media Terrorism
State media terrorism is when the State targets the media and media workers to restrict the media from transmitting knowledge and information about state excesses or on what the state considers not for public consumption.
State presidential terrorism
This type of terrorism emanated from presidential wors, actions, behaviours, guidelines or Executive Orders to the state instruments of coercion to reign havoc on the population in order to cause fear among the people.
State military terrorism
State military terrorism, also known as state-sponsored terrorism, involves governments or factions within them using violence or the threat of violence against their own citizens, other factions, or foreign governments/groups to achieve political goals
State police terrorism
This is an aspect of state-sponsored terrorism by the government involving the police or units within the police using violence or the threat of violence against their own citizens, other factions, or foreign governments/groups to achieve political goals.
State paramilitary terrorism
This is an aspect of state-sponsored terrorism by government, involving paramilitary groups or factions within them using violence or the threat of violence against their own citizens, other factions, or foreign governments/groups to achieve political goals.
State Mental and psychological terrorism
State mental and psychological terrorism involves a government or state using psychological tactics, often covertly, to control, suppress, or manipulate a population, causing widespread fear, anxiety, and distress, and potentially leading to long-term psychological harm
State business terrorism
“State business terrorism” is a phrase that suggests the involvement of state actors or entities in terrorism, potentially including businesses or organizations that are linked to or controlled by a government, with the goal of achieving political, economic, or social objectives through fear and coercion.
State political terrorism
State political terrorism, also known as state terrorism, refers to the use of terrorism by a state against another state or its own citizens to achieve political goals through coercion and the spread of fear.
State economic terrorism
State economic terrorism, also known as financial terrorism, refers to the deliberate manipulation of a nation’s economy by state or non-state actors, often to achieve political aims and target civilians
All these types of State terrorism have been prevalent in Uganda, even before the National Resistance Movement/Army grabbed the State instruments of power in 1986 following a bush war in the Luweero Triangle from 1981 to 1986 ostensibly to usher in democracy, freedom, justice. Unfortunately, whenever the State terrorises the citizens it violates freedom, democracy, justice, human rights and human life in Uganda.
When State terrorism is manifest, constitutional governance and the rule of law are weakened or rendered inconsequential, while the powers of the State President, the army and the police are enhanced, even illegally. The President can order army or police to take action on the people that they deem necessary.
These days it is not uncommon to the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), who is the first and publicly known only son of the President, simultaneously ordering the army, police and the range of paramilitary groups to reign havoc on the population. These various instruments of coercion are given the free will to do anything to the citizens anywhere, anyhow and anytime using any instrument of torture and harm at their disposal.
The assumption is that the population harbours terrorists or can harbour terrorists. Alae was passed by Parliament way back in 2002 to combat terrorism within and outside the country. It is called The Anti-Terrorism Law 2002. It is the most frequently evoke law before during and after elections, purposely to reign havoc on the people in order to control the restive population of mainly young people.
Whenever The Anti-Terrorism Act 2002 is evoked State presidential terrorism and State military terrorism, State police terrorism, State paramilitary terrorism and State Mental and psychological terrorism are integrated and reigned in one spectrum of terror to generate a reign of terror.
It is frequently evoked before, during and after elections. Simultaneously an expansive cloud of fear emerges the country. It consummates the State, which is increasingly manifesting as a Deep State, the Presidency, the military, the police and the population.
The whole electoral process is militarised. Many voters are scared away from voting their candidates of choice. It appears as if the elections are not organised to produce leaders but to violate democracy, freedom, justice, human rights, human life and to test various weapons of destruction of all civility in order to make politicomilitarism superior to civilianism. “Civilianism” refers to the dominance of civilian interests and their implementation over military force.
Civilianism, as a noun, signifies the prevalence and influence of civilian perspectives and actions in matters that traditionally fall under military jurisdiction. In Uganda under NRM rule this is next to impossible. Everything possible has been don to subordinate civilians to the power and authority of the military.
This is why the CDF could afford to say that Uganda will never be led by a civilian again (Samuel Muhimba, 2024). In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Muhoozi said the security forces would not allow a civilian to hold the country’s highest office (Samuel Muhimba, 2024). He was not contradicted by his father, Tibuhaburwa Museveni.
The continued threat to civilianism we face on everyday basis leaves the country in a state of war. It explains the overcapitalisation of the military in Uganda. This is exacerbated by the fact that the NRM regime have converted our country into the military “policeman” in the Great Lakes region.
At the moment the Ugandan military is in at least 5 countries, including South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. It is possible that the militarisation of the electoral processes, accompanied by militarily-initiated electoral malpractices have to do with this status.
There could be fear by the State that a new regime would not maintain the status quo in the region. He regime would redirect resources into education, health and infrastructure development instead of stifling this for regional warring and displaying military strength in the region at the expense of human development in Uganda.
For God and My Country.
