| Country: | Uganda |
| Details of Formation: | The Kiboko Squad first surfaced in 2007 and is described as an ad-hoc group, that assaults civilians and opposition leaders, particularly in the run-up to the 2011 presidential elections. |
| Details of Termination: | In March 2011, the self-proclaimed leader of the group was arrested. The police also released a list of members of the Squad, designating them as illegal groupings. Due to these incidents, the group ceases to be a pro-government militia. |
| Purpose: | The Kiboko Squad first surfaced in April 2007 when it attacked demonstrators protesting the government’s decision to give away parts of Mabira forest for sugar cane cultivation. It is described as an ad-hoc group, that assaults civilians and opposition leaders, particularly in the run-up to the 2011 presidential elections. |
| Organisation: | The Kiboko Squad is headed by Juma Semakula, nicknamed ‘Backfire’. Witnesses said that the group works alongside the police and that its members occasionally issue orders to police officers. The police serve meals to the members of the group and the group’s tactical base is at the police station. However, a police spokesperson denied that members of the Squad had been deployed. |
| Weapons and Training: | The Kiboko Squad is armed with large sticks (HRW 2009). The police and other security agencies have denied training and arming the group. Whether this denial is credible is uncertain as another source claims that the militia moved as a trained, prepared and coordinated unit around the streets, inspiring fear in civilians (Human Rights Watch 2009). |
| Size: | no information |
| Reason for Membership: | no information |
| Treatment of Civilians: | Several instances of severe beatings of civilians have been reported, carried out by the Kiboko Squad. The police denied allegations of supporting and mobilising the Squad although on several occasions they did not prevent members of the group from committing abuses and did not hold them accountable for their actions. |
| Other Information: | President Museveni praised the group’s actions saying that they were “on the side of justice”. It is claimed that the members of the Squad come from all walks of life, including police officers, spies, salesmen, taxi conductors and touts. The group’s members wear masks and are not uniformed. |
| References: |
Human Rights Watch. 2009. “Uganda: Police Restraint Needed in Response to Protests.” Human Rights Watch. 2011. “World Report 2011: Uganda; Events of 2010.” Human Rights Watch. 2018. “Take Serious, Not Symbolic, Steps to Reform Uganda Police”. https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/04/take-serious-not-symbolic-steps-reform-uganda-police. |