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President Yoweri Museveni greeting National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders who welcomed him at Boma Grounds in Yumbe district. (Photo by Milton Niinga)
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By Milton Niinga
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, under the leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has pledged to compensate ex-combatants from rebel groups in the West Nile region, whose activities had hindered the National Resistance Army (NRA) from achieving complete peace in parts of Northern Uganda. The two main groups under the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) II were commanded by the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Gen. Moses Ali—who formerly served as Finance Minister under President Idi Amin—and the late Maj. Gen. Ali Bamuze, whose insurgent activities destabilized the region for many years.
President Museveni launched the compensation initiative with a cash payment of Shs1 billion and pledged to release Shs13 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year, followed by another Shs12 billion in the 2026/2027 financial year—conditional on West Nile residents electing the NRM into office.
“The government would have paid the entire amount at once, but we are still repairing the Nebbi–Arua road network, which is in a very poor state. So, please accept this principle of mot…mot (bit by bit) until the full payment is completed,” President Museveni assured.
President Yoweri Museveni signing the dummy commitment for the compesation of West Nile ex-combatants in Yumbe district. (Photo by Milton Niinga)
He made these remarks on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Boma Grounds in Yumbe District during the Peace Day Celebrations, held under the theme "Consolidating 23 Years of Peace and Security for Socio-Economic Transformation in the West Nile Region."
“If someone claims that we had forgotten the ex-combatants, that’s not fair, because their children have benefited from schools and health centres built by the NRM since we came to power in 1986,” Museveni added.
He noted that when the NRA emerged from the bush in Luwero District, there were no Advanced Level schools in the region, but the government has since established six such schools, along with 26 health centres—with six more nearing completion.
“Let us embrace the disciplined approach of ‘one by one makes a bundle’ in our development journey. We prioritized purchasing military hardware to equip the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) to safeguard all 93,000 square miles of Uganda’s territory,” he explained.
Over 9,000 ex-combatants from the defunct UNRF II and the West Nile Bank Front (WNBF) have waited for compensation for the past 23 years, after surrendering their arms and signing a peace agreement on December 24, 2002. The agreement promised financial support for resettlement, along with ten government positions, and the retention of military ranks for former commanders in the UPDF.
The State Minister for Defence (Veteran Affairs), Huda Oleru Obason, stated that while some ex-combatants had already received compensation, others were still awaiting verification before payments could be made.
President Museveni praised Gen. Ali for his role in negotiating the peace agreement that ushered in reconciliation after many years of conflict, which had stalled the region’s economic progress.
“I want to thank Gen. Ali and Gen. Salim Saleh (aka Caleb Akandwanaho) for their role in ending the conflict and bringing lasting peace. War should be the last resort, and that is why the NRM introduced democracy—to allow people to elect leaders of their choice every five years,” Museveni said.
Torch Media Africa
