84-Year-Old Former NRA Fighter Sinking In Poverty Over Unfulfilled Gov’t Pledges

ARUA.  Rtd. Maj. Mahmoud Ramadhan Lambe, a former National Resistance Army (NRA) West Nile Front leader, is crying foul for being abandoned by the government he allegedly fought for to come into power.

Lambe, 84, a resident of Gotri village, Rembetta Parish in Lodonga, Yumbe district, joined the Army in 1960 under the East African Riffle number 18160072.

He later served under different regimes before joining President Yoweri Museveni’s gorilla group as the leader of the NRA West Nile Front in 1983.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, November 14, 2024, the now sickly Lambe said his team of about 1,707 soldiers fought as part of the main NRA wing in West Nile until the regime captured power and also liberated the sub-region.

Lambe added that when President Yoweri Museveni finally took over power in 1986, he handed over all his soldiers to the government.

“With my friend, Gen. Salim Saleh, I then started encouraging my brothers like the former Vice President, Mustafah Adrisi and many other former commanders, and rebels aligned with other groups to come back home from exile,” Lambe recalled.

He said President Museveni later in 1992, recognized his effort by promising to give him two buses, two tractors and some financial support.

But Lambe noted that he has not yet received the buses and tractors promised apart from some little financial support extended to him some years back.

He said to date, he is still expecting the government to fulfill a promise of Shs3.192 billion allocated as compensation for his soldiers who fought under the NRA West Nile Front.

“The government is planning to compensate the different groups that fought in West Nile. Unfortunately, my name appeared on the list of UNRF I. Much as I briefly fought under UNRF, I can’t accept to be compensated under that group because the government is fully aware of my group. It will look as if I’m betraying my fighters. My money was allocated in the name of NRA West Nile Front worth Shs3.192bn, I need that money so that my members and their families can also benefit from it,” Lambe stated.

Lambe said currently, he has nothing to rely on to support his children because the government is taking unnecessarily long to save him from the biting poverty.

“I’m appealing to President Museveni and my good friend, Gen. Salim Saleh to come to my aid by fulfilling my pledges at least before I die because I really fought for this peaceful country we are living in today,” Lambe appealed.

Saidi Lambe, one of Maj. Lambe’s children said: “We as the family of Mzee (Lambe), we suffered when Mzee was in the struggle, up to now, we have not got anything apart from this peace which everyone is enjoying. Some of us are educated, we have got qualifications but we are jobless. Then those whose parents died in the struggle under Mzee, their children are always coming to him to link them with the government for jobs but Mzee can’t help them because he has now lost contact with the people in the government.”

Saidi observed that his father’s only house of about 200 Iron sheets in Lodonga was destroyed during the struggle.

He, however, thanked Gen. Saleh for supporting them with Shs10m sometime back to start reconstructing the house, only that the money couldn’t finish the work.

“The biggest challenge we are facing as a family is to reach Gen. Salim Saleh. He is a very good friend of Mzee and I’m sure, once we get the opportunity to reach him, most of Mzee’s problems will be solved through him,” Saidi remarked.

When contacted, Salim Kumakech, the Arua Resident City Commissioner (RCC), acknowledged the pain Rtd. Maj. Lambe is undergoing but called for calm and patience as the government works out modalities of paying veterans and ex-combatants.