THE ECHO
NORTHERN NEWS EXTRA
For un-censored news from
Northern Uganda
SPECIAL ISSUE No. 1
28 December
2003
Introduction.
In
this Special Issue (and as promised), we bring you a detailed interview that the
LRA (Lords Resistance Army) spokesman gave to the German based Radio Rhino
International Africa regarding various topics that were put to him. Here is what
went on�
The
Interview:
Radio Rhino (RR):
Can you introduce yourself stating your name, rank and role in the
LRA?
Brigadier Sam Kolo (BK): I am Brigadier Sam Kolo, I
am the chief political commissar of the Lord Resistance
Movement/Army.
RR: How many years have you
been in the bush?
BK: I
have been in the bush for now 18 years.
RR:
There have been many times when the LRA have been referred to as a band of religious fanatics (a cult)/religious
fundamentalists. That you have no goals or political objectives. Now can you
outline the reason why the LRA are fighting?
BK: I am very glad you asked that question. The LRA
is not any of those things you have mentioned. The LRA is NOT a Christian
fundamentalist movement or a cult. Those descriptions are propaganda spread by
the NRA/NRM government. The reason for our existence is the removal of the
dictatorial government of Lt. Gen. Museveni from power.
RR: And what do you intend to do after you have removed the
government of Museveni.
BK: Simple. Give Uganda back to Ugandans. Restore the rights of the
people of Uganda (including the right of association). And restore the rule of
law.
RR: What reason do you have for not gaining much more ground in capturing the seat
of power which is Kampala, I say this because you have been around the North and
East for all these years?
BK: I'll explain. This is a war; it's a struggle not like a game of
football. In South Africa Mandela was imprisoned for 26 years in their struggle
to bring independence to their country. In Southern Sudan, John Garang's SPLA
have fought for almost 20 years and the LRA have been fighting for 18 years. We
are definitely gaining ground and moving closer to Kampala. Our forces have now
reached Soroti, the next you'll hear is that we have reached
Mbale.
RR: You are accused of committing
several atrocities in Northern and Eastern Uganda. They say you have been
abducting children, what comment do you have
about accusations that you have children within your fighting
ranks?
BK: This war as
I have said has lasted for 18 years. The children we have are the orphans whose
parents have been murdered by the government of Uganda. The children we have are
only for safe custody. We have never abducted children. The children that we
have are our children, they are with their cousins, relatives, they simply have
got no where to go.
RR: Do you engage them in
combat?
BK: We know of
our responsibility towards these children. No child under 18 ever goes to the
theatre of war. We make it a point, no child under the age of 18 goes to war
zones or war areas. The children stay in our camps or bases. I repeat, we don't
take children to war.
RR: Your forces
have been operating in Lango, Teso &
Acholi. Some times in West Nile region. Do your soldiers wear military uniform
similar to that of the Ugandan army?
BK: Not really. We are guerrilla fighters. We don't
have uniforms of our own.
RR: Who are the
people dressed in military uniform killing
people in Lango?
BK:
These are UPDF soldiers. They are the very UPDF soldiers killing people in
Lango, Acholi and Teso. They are the same forces who have killed people
massively in Southern Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Rwanda.
It's the same UPDF. This is typical of Museveni. He is using the same tactics he
used whilst fighting the Obote government in Luwero whereby he goes and kills
the local people and blames the killings on the then government. This he would
do to try and derail the support of the people for the then government. It's the
same thing the UPDF are now doing, whilst blaming their killings on the LRA. The
LRA have never intentionally killed anybody, because we are fighting a people's
war.
RR: They say whenever the people dressed
up in military uniform are killing in Lango, they say they are avenging the
death of Charles Tabuley? They make it sound like its you. Do you have any
comment about this?
BK:
Why should we kill Lango in particular? Why should we target Lango? Why should
we kill innocent civilians in Teso? If indeed it was our practise to kill
civilians as the UPDF would like to portray, we would not have lasted as we have
for 18 years now. Our strength is the civilian population. This allegation is
completely untrue. It is the UPDF who are killing people in Lango and we the LRA
want the international community to come in and investigate this matter. Let the
whole world know who is truly killing civilians in Lango and the whole of the
North.
RR: Why has all the peace initiatives
in the past failed? Is it on your part or on the part of the
government?
BK: In
1993, the LRA called for negotiations with the government. This was when Betty
Bigombe was minister for the North and Col. Wasswa was the 4th division
commander. That peace process was frustrated by the government of Museveni.
Again in 2002 we initiated a similar process by sending 2 letters; one to Acholi
Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) - who had volunteered in negotiating
peace between us and the government, and a second letter to government via, the
minister for Defence Amama Mbabazi. The government turned down our overture.
Despite this we still went ahead and held meetings with the ALRPI, with some of
those attending including Archbishop Odama and MP Reagan Okumu. Lt. Gen.
Museveni is never serious about bringing about peace. It is Museveni who does
not want to talk.
RR: Are you interested in
peaceful negotiation to ending the war?
BK: If Museveni is serious, the LRA would be
interested in talks, but we know Museveni is not serious. If Museveni is
interested in peace he would not be importing guns from America, China or
importing more helicopter gunship. Museveni is simply not interested in talking
peace.
RR: It is reported in the (government owned) New Vision that one of your
commanders, Vincent Otti, has been talking to col. Kayanja (Head of Internal
Security Organisation).
BK: Vincent Otti is the deputy chairman of the LRM/A. He has never talked
to Col. Kayanja. Why should he be talking to Col. Kayanja. What for? The
government of Uganda survives on lies. They are telling these lies to try any
discourage people from supporting the LRA/M.
RR: How do you feel as a group, being named as international
terrorists?
BK:
First of all you must know that the LRA is not a terrorist organisation. The LRA
is a liberation movement. The word terrorist just came because anybody who
opposes the government of Lt. Gen. Museveni is deemed to be a terrorist. The LRA
is not a terrorist organisation. This is NRM propaganda which some friends of
Museveni in the international community want to believe. The LRA is a liberation
movement and not a terrorist organisation.
RR: There is increasing internal and external voices and a lot of
pressure to resolve the war. What is your
reaction to the people calling for a peaceful resolution to the
conflict?
BK: We are
aware of these debates. The problem is that it is the same people in the
international community who continue to give Lt. Gen Museveni Finance and
military equipment. People must realise that you cannot talk whilst the other
party is preparing for war. This is where the international community has
failed. They should put pressure on the government of Uganda rather than asking
the LRA to talk to the government of Uganda. The government of Uganda continues
with its war program. New helicopter gunships are being bought. New mechanised
vehicles are being bought. The above doesn't show a party interested in peace.
It shows a party interested in war.
RR: And what are the good gestures you will show on your
part as the LRA that you are willing to talk
peace?
BK: We are on
record as interested in peace. We have written to Acholi religious leaders, we
have written to the government of Uganda, to the local leaders known as the
"Rwodi Moo" etc.
RR: So would you accept any
involuntary, state sponsored exile of your top commanders, as a price for
peace?
BK: There is no
reason why we should accept to go into exile and yet the worst killer of all,
Lt. Gen. Museveni remains in Uganda. I would only recommend that Lt. Gen
Museveni should step down as Charles Taylor did in Liberia in the interest of
peace. The whole problem of Uganda is Museveni. He started the current war
against defenceless civilians which is why we took up arms. I would call upon
the international community to ask Museveni to step down and if Museveni left
power, we would stop fighting even tomorrow.
RR: Would you therefore tell me how you feel now that the
government has given you until the end of
December 2003 to surrender, otherwise the government will seek an international
arrest warrant for you and your leaders?
BK: Now that is revealing. How would a government
that is interested in talking peace use those threatening words. I will tell you
this. The Museveni government has not defeated us nor is it any where near
winning the war against us. It is therefore in no position to say we should
surrender. On the contrary, we have the upper hand in this conflict. We will
remain determined to bring an end to Lt. Gen Museveni's dictatorial
government. Bear in mind that Museveni has made such threats before.
Threatening that he'll finish the LRA by such and such a date. That he'll kill
Joseph Kony etc. Those are just empty threats. December will come and pass. The
LRA will still be there, until we overthrow his dictatorial
government.
RR: If conditions are put on the
Ugandan dictatorship to sit down with you for peace talks will you then put down
your guns and go to the peace table?
BK: Very much so. We would be able to do that. But it
must be said that the international community are the ones letting Museveni
behave in the manner in which he is behaving. On the one hand they are asking
the LRA to talk peace, whilst on the other hand some of them are encouraging
Museveni to continue with the war. They are giving him more and more armaments.
How can you talk peace when the other side is hell bent on war? If they stop
aiding Museveni in his war effort then we know they are serious and on our part
we would be ready for negotiations.
RR: What
are the conditions you want to give for you to participate in any peace
talks?
BK: Simple. If
the international community want us to talk in an atmosphere of freedom in which
there is no fear on the part of anyone, first of all they should remove this
word of terrorism. Because if they say the LRA is a terrorist organisation and
this is being accepted by some of Museveni's friends amongst the international
community, it would be difficult for us to participate in any meaningful
process. For us we are happy that Ugandans know that the LRA is not a terrorist
organisation, it is a liberation movement. Ugandans have never accepted the lack
of democracy, the nepotism and abuse of human rights which is the hallmark of
Museveni's government.
RR: I've been reading
some reports that are implicating the LRA, to have stolen some radio
communication equipment. And they claim that the LRA have made some very
threatening words. That religious institutions, that people that work
there and their personnel are to be killed.
Did you at anytime within the last 7 days issue such an order? If yes why? If no
then you can as well tell us.
BK: You and your listeners must know that it is the religious leaders who
are the ones trying to make peace between us and the government. It was the LRA
who first wrote to religious leaders asking them to try and co-ordinate peace
talks/negotiations with the government. How then would we the LRA turn round and
threaten to kill them. What you see happening is the hand of
government.
RR: You have no intention of
killing harming them?
BK: Why should we do that? Why should we do that? They are just innocent
people. We know that these are our mediators.
RR: I would like you to describe to us your
experiences whenever you have encountered the
UPDF.
BK: On the 18th
November 2003 we encountered the UPDF in a place called Abago. We killed over 25
soldiers (25 soldiers were the bodies abandoned by the UPDF on the battle
scene), we captured a large amount of ammunition. The UPDF is a disorganised
force. They can never withstand the LRA. They were in complete
disarray.
RR: So do you think you are
gaining or you are not making any headway?
BK: We are most definitely gaining. The other day we
were in Katakwi district. We then reached Soroti district. We are now in
Kaberamaido district. Now we have a brigade in Kaberamaido, a brigade in Soroti
district. We are advancing. We have got the upper hand. In fact UPDF "operation
iron fist" promoted the LRA so much that I think Ugandans will soon be
free.
RR: Finally, your message to
Ugandans and the international community.
BK: My message to Ugandans is simple. Ugandans must
know that no country, nobody is going to come and remove Museveni for them. It
is Ugandans alone that will solve their own problem. If Ugandans are tired of
Museveni's abuses which we know they are, let them come and join the LRA and
remove Museveni. As has happened before, if they think Museveni will relinquish
power in 2006, they are in for a surprise. Museveni will use the same methods he
has used before (rigging) to ensure he remains in power. Therefore I advise
Ugandans that it is them alone that can solve their problem. Let them not wait
for America, let them not wait for Britain or any other African country to come
and assist them. And to the international community I say this, they
should invest in Ugandans and not invest in dictator Museveni. Museveni is soon
going. If they put all their investment in him, there investment is wasted - it
will go with Museveni.
And finally...
As seen from the above, the LRA have
put across their side of the story, an opportunity which in the past have been
denied them by the Ugandan media (due to state censorship and fear of reprisal
from the Museveni dictatorship). It is clear from the above that the NRM
government, have got alot to answer for, for the unexplained killings of
civilians, much of which goes on to this day.
We support Brig. Kolo�s call for a third party
independent investigation. As we at the Echo have stated before, such an enquiry
if truly independent would be an �eye opener� not only to Uganda and the Great
Lakes Region, but for the whole world as to the true character of dictator
Museveni.
Until next time, Jok Joka
malo.
� The Echo
2003
