NORTHERN NEWS EXTRA
For un-censored news from
Northern Uganda
ISSUE No.
2 16 November
2003
Introduction
In the last issue we
brought you stories of what the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) gets up to,
behind the iron curtainof media censorship in northern Uganda. In this issue we
reveal more of such incidents. At this point it must emphasised that the
information contained in this report are only but a random sample of what
actually takes place in this part of the world. The reality for the civilian
population of northern Uganda is continual terror on a gigantic scale by the
UPDF (and its adversary the Lords Resistance Army (LRA)).
It is our hope
that in future issues we will be able to bring to you a detailed analysis and
report on the activities of the psuedo-LRA force. This is a force that commits
atrocities against the civilian population (usually after the UPDF have suffered
a major defeat) and blames its acts on the real LRA of Joseph Kony. The purpose
of this group (psuedo-LRA) is to avenge defeats suffered by the UPDF, but also
to turn the local people against the LRA. Latterly, the existence of the group,
have become a reason for the formation of the Arrow Group militia.
For
now we bid you a good read.
UPDF rapes, murders a blind school
teacher....
On 7th October 2003, the UPDF raped and murdered
Betty Alum, who was a blind teacher at St. Theresa Primary School in Kitgum.
According to the daughter of the deceased who very narrowly survived the
incident this is what happened:
Six armed UPDF soldiers stormed their
home in the evening of 7th October 2003. They demanded to talk to "the person
who had just returned from Gulu" (that person being Betty Alum). They spoke in a
mixture of Luo, English and Kiswahili, although their Luo wasn't coherent. The
soldiers demanded foodstuff, money and young children. The deceased offered them
all the material things they asked for but pleaded with them not to take her
daughter (who is only 12 years old). Her cry was to no avail. Two UPDF soldiers
grabbed the child and marched her into the bush. It was whilst they were heading
for the bush that Alum's daughter managed to escape. "It seems my escape could
have provoked them to kill my mother" the young girl narrated.
On the
morning of the 8th October 2003, Betty Alum was found lying dead on the floor of
her grass thatched house. Her under wear (knickers) and bra was pushed through
her mouth with a stick towards her stomach. It is believed the UPDF soldiers
smashed her head with a grinding stone, but not before they had brutally raped
her. There was also a bayonet wound to her chest. No food items, clothes or any
money was taken.
The above incident took place less than 50 meters from a
UPDF base (detach). Sources report that the UPDF soldiers involved have since
been transferred to other bases with some going to a place called "Gang dyang".
And the rapes continue......
In the early days of
the NRA/UPDF life in Northern Uganda, the UPDF went by the name of
"Lagungu-ngu". Translated into English simply as "those who rape you whilst
standing up". Even men were sodomised. The assaults were carried out on such an
organised scale that it was believed the purpose of these rapes was to spread
the deadly HIV virus amongst the northern populace. Whatever the true motives,
the assaults were to turn northern Uganda from an area in which there were
hardly any cases of HIV/AIDS to an area which to date has the highest HIV/AIDS
infection rates in the country.
On 6th October 2003, the UPDF mobile
brigade came to Dure trading centre, which is situated 7 miles south of Kitgum.
At around 6pm they ordered everybody to leave their homes. They brought out the
women, elderly, children and the men - no one was left behind. They then went
ahead and separated the female from the male (including children). The male
citizens were ordered to return to their homes. Their womenfolk remained with
the UPDF. In the morning of the 7th October 2003 when the female citizens of
Dure (including young girls) returned to their homes, they told of their horror
at the hands of the UPDF. They had all been brutally raped.
A similar
incident happened in Orom division in October 2003. A 72 year old woman by the
name of Ventorina Lariang was raped by soldiers of the 89th division of the UPDF
stationed in the area. The assaults against the civilian population of Orom had
become so rampant that the deputy LC5 chairman, Mr. Dominic Balu issued an
outcry about the activities of the UPDF in the area. It would seem
"Lagungu-gungu" had indeed landed.
In October 2003 a commander in the
UPDF 43rd battalion base in Atiak, a Lt. Nicholas, abducted and raped Grace
Adokorac of the same location (Atiak). Sources report that the UPDF soldier also
stole Shs 187,000/= from his victim. As it is common in the north, despite the
crime he has committed, Lt Nicholas remains in his post.
Observers note,
that events like Dure and Orom are not isolated incidents. Quite the contrary,
so much so that when you ask women in outlying areas in Acholiland they would
tell you this "during day time we belong to our husbands. At night, we belong to
the UPDF".
UPDF shoots civilians at Bobi
market.....
On 21st October 2003, the UPDF shot and killed
Alfonsio Ojok at Kulu-Owa in Bobi Paidwe parish. Sources report that Ojok was in
a group of people returning from Bobi market centre at around 6.30pm. It is
reported that they came across 7 UPDF soldiers who opened fire without asking
any questions. Ojok died immediately and it is believed many other civilians
sustained bullet wounds and might have died from their injuries after the
incident.
But how exactly is the UPDF war against the LRA
going....
We have received reports of a major battle between the
LRA and the UPDF in Acol-Pii in Pader districts. It is reported that the LRA
over ran the UPDF base in Acol-Pii, killing a total of 378 UPDF soldiers.
Reports also suggest the LRA were in control of the UPDF base for a total of 5
days. During the same incident, the LRA captured a number of sophisticated
weaponry from the UPDF, weapons which it would appear the LRA did not have in
their procession before. The above event backs the LRA media claim, that the
UPDF has indeed become its major source of armaments.
Reports reaching
The Echo state that on the 11th November 2003 the LRA attacked and over ran a
UPDF detach which was based at Obila Village in Omoro County, approximately
60kms from Lira town. Thirty four UPDF soldiers lost their lives including Lt
Moses Birimumaso. The LRA also captured more than a dozen UPDF soldiers. It is
reported that, the UPDF having been badly beaten, had to be rescued by the Arrow
Group militia. It then followed that the LRA engaged both the UPDF/Arrow Group
militia in a battle, which lasted up to 3 hours. When the dust finally settled,
the bodies of 49 Arrow Group militias/UPDF soldiers (in addition to the UPDF'
earlier losses) were left on the battle scene. The Echo has since learnt that
the LRA commander Charles Tabuley conducted the operation against the
UPDF.
Sources note that it is for the high casualty rate amongst the UPDF
that the army has unleashed the so called psuedo-LRA force as a revenge measure
against the civilian population. They also point out that because of the total
reluctance by a great many Ugandans to join the army, that is why the UPDF has
adopted rather unconventional methods including the abduction of Acholi children
as reported in this and our last issue as a mode of recruitment.
Operation groundnut....
Ever since the NRA/UPDF set
foot in Acholiland, the word operation has been synonymous with death and
destruction. Scotched earth tactics have been used, with foodstuff destroyed and
even drinking wells poisoned. It is an open secret that the so called protected
villages are an extension of the same scotched earth policy i.e. the idea being
that if you deny the rebels food and people they would lack the capacity to
fight. In the words of Major General Salim Saleh any one found outside of the so
called protected villages would be deemed a rebel and liable to being killed
without any further questions asked.
On 7th October 2003 a group of
soldiers belonging to the mobile brigade of the UPDF came to Pagen parish in
Kitgum district. They went about destroying people's homes ostensibly to provide
firewood for the army. The UPDF then systematically looted the entire foodstuff
the villagers had. Crops in the field like maize, cassava, sweet potato etc.
were harvested on the spot. The headmaster of Pagen Primary school (Mr Lokunyen)
had an acre of groundnuts. This too went the same way as the rest of what the
other villagers had.
Observers believe that this action by the mobile
brigade is deliberate. The UPDF strategy being that foodstuff left behind would
be used to feed the LRA. Furthermore, the villagers, having no food to sustain
themselves or shelter (in the middle of the rainy season), would be forced to go
to the camps - where the UPDF want them in the first place. In the camps, the
civilians face death from starvation, disease, if not being trapped in crossfire
between government and rebel troops. The end result is the same - death. But the
government policy of emptying the countryside would have been
achieved.
Is the UPDF becoming desperate?
We have
learnt from a source close to the LRA that the UPDF has become desperate in its
fight against the rebels and it has resorted to using "dirty" bombs, many of
which have been dropped on the civilian population. According to the source, the
injuries caused by these bombs have never been seen before in the 17 year old
conflict. On the following dates and places, the UPDF aircraft dropped
substances (not conventional bombs) which given the unique injury caused and the
smell/odour left in the area, suggest of a possible chemical substance. The
dates and places are listed below: -
1. 1st July 2002 - Labongo ogali,
Amuru Sub-County, Gulu District.
2. 6th July 2002 - Alero Opok, Gulu
District.
3. 12th July 2002 - Pamot Lukili, Lamwo County, Kitgum
District.
4. 4th August 2002 - Labongo ogali, Amuru Sub-County, Gulu
District.
5. 28th August 2002 - Bar, Agoro Sub-County, Kitgum District.
6.
28th August 2002 - Okung Gedi, Amuru Sub-County, Gulu District.
7. 28th
August 2002 - Orum, Kamdini, Apac District.
8. 30th August 2002 - Puranga,
Pader District.
9. 4th September 2002 - Palenga, Gulu District.
10. 6th
September 2002 - Bobi Nyek, Gulu District.
11. 18th September 2002 - Bobi
Nyek, Gulu District.
12. 10th September 2002 - Aleb Tong, Lira
District.
13. 22nd September 2002 - Acholibur, Kitgum District.
14. 22nd
January 2003 - Awac, Gulu District.
15. 5th February 2003 - Ogom, Atiak,
Kitgum District.
Also of interest, is the number of UPDF soldiers who
have died from a range of unusual illnesses at Lacor (military wing) hospital.
One such UPDF soldier, an officer by the name of Okello, died from a condition,
which pointed to exposure to high levels of radiation. Many others have since
perished from conditions which medical experts suggests, relate to the "unusual"
weaponry that the UPDF is deploying.
Ugandan newspapers also recently
reported an incident in Gulu district whereby a child (boy) of two years was
discovered to have developed genital features of a mature man. Observers believe
this deformity is related to the war and in particular the side effect of the
weaponry, which the UPDF may have used against the civilian
population.
Whatever the case might be, many questions remain unanswered
as to the exact nature of the kind of weaponry that the UPDF is using and the
likely effect on the northern populace.
And
finally....
We have received many letters of support since our
launch. Some of you wish to use our material for various purposes in your search
for peace in this troubled part of Uganda. On the basis that the truth needs to
be told, please feel free to make use of the information published in The Echo
to spread the word about what is actually happening in our country. Until next
time, Jok, joka malo.
� The Echo 2003
The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in
anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans
l'anarchie"
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