The Africa Report
June 21, 2012
Storm brews over forced circumcision in Uganda
By Godfrey Olukya
The Ugandan town of Mbale was brought to a standstill on
Tuesday afternoon, as a naked man ran through the streets, with more
than 50 men in pursuit. He was fleeing a forced circumcision.
Only identified as Deo, the man sought sanctuary from the Resident
District Administrator, as the men and a local scalpel-wielding surgeon
gave chase.
Deo survived the forced circumcision after guards at the
administrator's office were able to disperse his assailants, but that
was not before other men had fallen victim to the enforced surgical
operation.
More than 40 men of various ages have been subjected to the cut in
the last two days, as the town goes through a general circumcision
programme, but this has faced widespread protests.
Mbale is mainly inhabited by the Bamasaba tribe, which prescribes
circumcision to all males from the age of 15, and those who do not
undergo the cut are forcefully circumcised.
However, it has emerged that the 40 men who were forcefully
circumcised are not of the Bamasaba tribe, but rather were forced to
undergo the operation, as they either had Bamasaba wives or girlfriends.
"Since they sleep with our sisters and daughters, we felt they had to
be circumcised like the rest of us," Gerald Wambedde, an advocate of
forced circumcisions, said.
The leader of the exercise, Badru Wasike said the circumcision exercise was both a cultural and health exercise.
"We are helping those who feared getting circumcised through cultural
processes. We are aware that circumcised men do not easily get infected
with HIV/Aids. Since they love our relatives we want them to be safe,"
he explained.
But this has raised a wave of protests in the town, 400 kilometres
east of the capital, Kampala with some saying the forced circumcisions
were inhuman.
"Men were told to unzip on the streets to ascertain whether they had
been circumcised. That is not only unfair but also inhuman," a human
rights activist, Mbale,Keneth Mabonga, said.
The RDC has responded by banning forced circumcision and has
instructed local police to arrest anyone suspected of enforcing the said
cultural rite.
Culturally, the Bamasaba hold circumcision ceremonies every two years.
Those to be circumcised, as a rite of passage, undergo rituals
including dancing half naked, while their bodies are smeared with ash.
New Vision (Uganda)
June 20, 2012
Forceful circumcision in Mbale: Police fire teargas
By Paul Watala
Police in Mbale have fired teargas and deployed heavily to
disperse hooligans forcefully circumcising people on the streets
including non-Bamasaba.
The District Police Commander, Michael Angucia Wednesday vowed to
crack down the hooligans who are causing insecurity in the town.
“I am not trying to fight the culture of the Bamasaba but the way
the practice is handled may cause tribal conflicts. Several people have
fled the town, property robbed and business is being paralyzed,”
Angucia said.
“We have deployed on the streets to arrest the hooligans,” Angucia added.
He said that several groups of such people have taken advantage
of the cultural festival of the Bamasaba to force whoever they suspect
to have not been circumcised.
Angucia said that due to public outcry from the people and local
leaders, police had no alternative but to provide security on the
streets to restore serenity in town, adding that some people have fled
town and abandoned business in Mbale main garage.
It is estimated that a total number of
about 220 people have been circumcised from the time the exercise began date.
Dr. Jaffer Balyejjusa a senior Consultant surgeon Mbale regional Referral Hospital condemned the act of forceful circumcision.
He said that so far they have received
two cases where the victims had been circumcised badly putting lives in danger.
Bamasaba cultural board chairperson, Augustine Wandende condemned
the act of forcing people who are not Bamasaba into circumcision
without their consent and appealed to the authorities to take action
against the culprits.
[Would this have happened if Drs Gray, Quinn, Wawer etc. ha not assured Ugandans that circumcision is wonderful?]
