Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said that the government decided to forgive former late president Milton Obote whose soldiers committed atrocities during the 1980-1985 civil war, local press reported on Monday.

"If we wanted, we could have sought his extradition so that he faces the International Criminal Court. We ignored him but I appeal to the remaining people who are like him to seek contritionand repent of what they did to Ugandans," Museveni was quoted by The New Vision newspaper as saying.

The Ugandan government accused Obote's soldiers massacred about300,000 people during the 1980-1985 war between his forces and guerrilla forces led by Museveni.

Obote was overthrown by a military coup led by Gen. Itto Okelloin 1985 and fled to Zambia.

Museveni said Ugandans had forgiven all those who committed atrocities, the reason they were living freely in Uganda, while others are in exile.

He said Obote and former dictator Idi Amin, who both died in exile, had a chance to ask for forgiveness and return while alive but they chose to stay in exile.

Museveni made the remarks when addressing residents of Semuto sub-county in the newly-created Nakaseke district on Saturday.

He told residents at a mass grave where about 3,000 people wereburied by then government forces between 1981-86 that the grave returned old bush war memories.

On the occasion, Museveni identified several elderly people whohelped him during the war and waved to them.

"When this man (Obote) who died a few days ago abrogated the constitution, he started ruling with the military and killing people who were tired of his dictatorship and were supporting us. They used killing as a means to intimidate people opposed to his leadership," Museveni said.

Museveni said the state funeral for Obote was intended to foster unity.

"As a professional soldier, we respect both our soldiers and soldiers from the enemy side. In the National Resistance Movement,we are leading both people who are happy with Obote and those who are annoyed with him. We know how bad he was but we must act as one Uganda and unite our people. We sat in cabinet and after a long discussion, we agreed that this was good for Uganda and we decided to accord him a state funeral," he added.

Obote died in South Africa on October 10. His body will arrive in Uganda on Tuesday. A state funeral service will be held at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala on Friday.

Source: Xinhua