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New Vision (Kampala)
December 24, 2003
Posted to the web December 24, 2003
Albert Ayiga Ondoga
Kampala
LANGO district leaders are among 8,000 new recruits of Amuka Militia Group, an auxiliary force formed to fight Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels along side UPDF.
The recruits are training at Aler Farm, nine miles from Lira town, under the command of Lt. Col. Jim Willis Byarugaba.
Lira district Woman MP Margaret Ateng Otim said recently the district leaders were training separately in the Army barracks. She said they were working on military training for Lango MPs.
Lt. Col. Byarugaba said over 100 women had joined the militia.
Among the district leaders in the training are former Lira RDC Charles Engwau Egou, LC5 boss Franco Ojur and councillors.
"We are happy Lango leaders have put aside their political differences to mobilise more than 7,635 local people to be trained. They will be deployed in the parishes to beef up security," Fifth Division Operations Officer, Lt. Col. Atwooki Ndahura, said.
Atwooki was briefing state minister for health and chairman of Arrow Group, Capt. Mike Mukula, health and district officials who visited the training camp on Monday.
He commended the MPs and district leaders for mobilising the people, saying, "There is overwhelming response and I think the job is finished. But you will be hearing some bad statements from detractors."
Mukula appealed to the recruits and residents not to allow Kony to abduct their children because they would go and kill people elsewhere.
Mukula warned the recruits not to fear or panic but be calm and fire one bullet, one enemy, so that Kony is finished within the shortest time possible.
"When we finish Kony, the guns you have will remain in the region under the UPDF command so that you can protect yourselves from the Karimonjong raiders until they are disarmed," Mukula, dressed in military fatigue, said.
He assured the recruits that Government would provide them with uniforms, gumboots, food, medicine and a token salary of sh60,000. He directed the district health officials to establish a health unit in the camp to treat the trainees.
"You will be the heroes of Lango if you stick to the motto 'No retreat, No surrender'.
