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Written by Edris Kiggundu
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008 20:34 |
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AIDS now Uganda’s ‘biggest’ security threat HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the army remain worryingly high, raising fears that it could be the single biggest threat to Uganda’s security.
This finding is contained in a report titled ‘State Responsiveness to Public Security Needs: The Politics of Security Decision-Making,’ that was released recently by the Conflict, Security and Development Group at King’s College London, a constituent college of the University of London.
The study looked at armies in three Commonwealth countries; Uganda, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
The 90-page report on Uganda estimates the HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the UPDF to be between 27% and 30%—more than four times above the national prevalence rate of 6.7%.
In real terms, it means that more than 15, 000 soldiers or 20 battalions are infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
The Uganda country survey of the report was undertaken by Maj. Sabiiti Mutengesa, a former Director of Records in the UPDF and now a research associate at the college, together with Dylan Hendrickson, a Senior Research Fellow in the Conflict, Security and Development Group.
Mutengesa fled Uganda in 2000 after falling out with the then army Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. James Kazini. He lends to this report his inside knowledge of the operations of the UPDF and the state of its officers.
Disastrous effects The authors note that the HIV/AIDS scourge has several effects on the individual, the army and the country.
The disease shatters the family of the affected soldier, lowers his morale for work and leads government to spend a lot of resources treating him/her.
The report estimates that if Uganda was to provide the recommended healthcare for the affected personnel, the country would have to pick an annual bill of about Shs 10 billion, or Shs 600,000 per person. Shs 10 billion is 2.5% of the total Ministry of Defence budget for this financial year; that is Shs 410 billion.
But none of the implications is of greater consequence than reducing the strength of the forces. Since Uganda has an estimated 55,000 to 60,000 soldiers, 15,000 individuals being infected would mean that the disease could wipe away a quarter of the entire force.
The report notes: “HIV prevalence among service personnel has a profound impact on how the military is organised and its posture in responding to, containing and resolving conflicts. The physical stress associated with military duty hastens the onset of full-blown AIDS, which will lead to opportunistic infections that include respiratory disease, diarrhoea, skin ailments and central nervous system symptoms.”
Mutengesa and Hendrickson also note that the death or incapacitation of a long-serving intelligence officer who is well versed in the workings of an adversary may determine the outcome at the battlefield. Secondly, the report notes that if in the battle field, soldiers develop the perception that because of their suspect HIV sero-status, even their ‘buddies’ will not come to their aid if they are injured, they may have limited inclination to take risks in the face of the enemy. “Such soldiers will not be ‘responsive’ to the bidding of their commanders, and military personnel that are unresponsive to the orders of their immediate superiors make for military forces that are unresponsive to their role of defending their countries against external and internal aggression,” the report notes.
The authors also cite an undated International Crisis Group report, which says that personnel living with HIV have limited endurance and become lethargic, are depressed, suffer short-term memory loss and acquire suicidal tendencies.
The report notes that the situation within the Uganda Police Force is less severe. It quotes an unnamed superintendent of police in charge of the HIV/AIDS control project in the Force who says that up to 13% of the Police officers in Kampala have the virus. UPDF reaction The Army Spokesperson, Maj. Paddy Ankunda said he could not comment on the findings of the report before looking at it. He also declined to provide a clear picture of the HIV/AIDS situation within the army. A major reason why UPDF never wants to reveal HIV/AIDS figures within the force is the claim that it compromises national security yet it is well known that the army has for long grappled with the disease across its rank and file.
President Museveni often says that he first learnt of the grim HIV/AIDS picture within UPDF from the former president of Cuba, Fidel Castro in 1989.
This is after it emerged that most of the soldiers Uganda had sent to Cuba for military training were infected with HIV.
Since then, it has become a major requirement for individuals to undergo an HIV test before they are recruited into the army and President Museveni often warns recruits of the scourge.
“It is treasonable to die of AIDS,” Museveni said recently.
The potential for infection and spread of HIV/AIDS in the army remains high, especially given the conditions in which they operate and live.
Ordinary soldiers usually reside in barracks where in some cases more than two families share a single house.
Secondly, they are constantly transferred from one area of operation to another and many end up picking new partners along the way, giving HIV infection a fertile ground.
According to the report, more than half of all deaths of UPDF service men are related to AIDS.
“A combat enemy is easy to deal with. You can know what kind of weapon he is using, you can even know the capabilities that he has, but with AIDS, it is a different cup of tea,” said Lt. Gen. Wamala Katumba, the Commander of Land Forces during an HIV/AIDS Implementers Conference in Kampala, in June this year.
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