|
Rebels Fear Civilian Revenge
By Dennis Ojwee
JOSEPH Kony�s rebel fighters fear denouncing rebellion and coming out of the bush for fear of vengeance from civilians against whom they have committed atrocities.
Former LRA captives recently rescued by the army quoted rebels hiding in remote camps in the Opiru hills, west of Kilak Hills in Gulu, as saying that they would not surrender for fear of revenge attacks from civilians.
�Before setting us free in the bush, the rebels told us that they feared being killed if they went back home. They said they would also find it difficult to adjust to life among their relatives and friends because they had committed many atrocities against the people of Acholi since the rebellion started 16 years ago,� a dirty and hungry-looking youth told The New Vision yesterday.
The former captives quoted the rebels as saying that they could only enter peace talks with the Government if the UPDF withdrew from the north up to Karuma Bridge, leaving the northern region in their hands.
The rebel�s worries were contained in testimonies of 16 former captives released by the rebels on Wednesday morning.
The group, whose identity the army declined to reveal, were picked by the UPDF from the bushes and taken to the UPDF Child Protection Unit (CPUI) in Gulu town.
The group, aged between 18 and 42 years, has four females.
Many of them were abducted in the recent rebel raids on the Gulu town suburbs of Laliya, Obiya west and East.
The majority were from Coo-Pe in Bungatita sub-county, Aswa county, north of Gulu town.
Narrating the conditions in the LRA camps, the captives said the rebels listen to music on radio cassettes and to Mega 102 FM bulletins and other programmes, which the rebels term as government lies.
They said the radios are always tuned at high volume.
The UPDF fourth Division spokesman, Paddy Ankunda, said 37 former captives were taken to the CPU in Gulu yesterday afternoon. He said the 37 were part of 113 captives rescued by the UPDF or released by the reb
els since last Thursday.
The captives said most of the items the rebels looted and forced them to carry on their heads for about one week, included sacks of bean seeds, maize, sugar, soya-beans, rice, sorghum, chicken and goats. Ends
Published on: Monday, 25th November, 2002 |
