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The Monitor (Kampala)February 23, 2004
Posted to the web February 23, 2004
Joe Wacha
Lira
The Monitor spoke yesterday to two survivors of the rebel attack on Barlonyo camp in Ogur sub-county in Lira district."My name is Ogwang Mikeli and my wife Silvia Atim Ogwang has also been killed in the attack. "The rebels arrived here at 5 p.m. from the direction of that anthill [east] and were numbering about 300.
"Then they started bombing the camp. The bomb was fired twice before gunfire started. Other civilians survived because one side of the camp was not sealed by the rebels. But some people fled into their houses.
"The militiamen who were around kept telling people to run away saying they had been defeated. "There were 36 Amuka militiamen deployed to guard the camp and we ran together with the militiamen."Rebels then, it appeared, their bullets were complete (sic). "Then the rebels moved closer and started burning the houses. They had military uniforms similar to those of the Amuka militiamen and also had plenty of bombs. This went on until 8 p.m.
For us we were now lying in the bush far from the camp. A woman was commanding the rebels. We came back this morning."There were 4,800 people in this camp." Mr Lujono Okeo also told his story."As these people [rebels] arrived, I was grazing my cattle in the bush. It was 6:36 p.m."I asked my child who was with me what the dog was barking at then he answered that he didn't know but that there were some people moving and he suspected them to be soldiers.
"Then they blew a whistle and started firing. When they did that I fell down and lay flat. By the time they threw bombs, I was still lying on the ground. Then I turned my eyes, saw them and started to crawl."They kept firing at me and soon the place was covered with dust. "I hit a tree and fell down and that was when I realised I had been shot in the leg. It was that tree with a fallen trunk that saved me; I hid underneath until this morning."
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."
- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister
