By Joe Wacha & Orla Ryan
Feb 26, 2004 - Monitor
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LIRA – Several people were killed here yesterday when a peaceful demonstration turned violent.
Estimates differ wildly. “The organisers lost control of the crowd they had called to participate in a peace march,” the district police commander, Mr Godfrey Aropet, told The Monitor by telephone yesterday. “It became riotous and [the demonstrators] attacked the police station, the army barracks and homes of people who are not indigenous in the area.” Lorries full of heavily armed soldiers boosted by six armoured personnel carriers drove into Akii-Bua stadium where the demonstrators were massed. The army spokesman, Maj. Shaban Bantariza, said that five people were killed in the melee. “One person was shot; four were lynched by the mob while three others were injured,” Bantariza said. Eyewitnesses reported that when the army arrived at the stadium, the district chairman suggested that demonstrators should disperse. Mr Peter Ochan, a 25-year-old mechanic, said demonstrators threw stones at the soldiers and abused them. “Immediately bullets started being fired,” he said. One boy, whose age and name were not available, was shot dead as he sat in the pavilion at the stadium. Dr Jane Aceng, the medical superintendent of Lira hospital, said five people, four men and one woman, were brought in with gunshot wounds. How demo began The peace march had started with a procession through Obote Avenue, Juba Road, Ayer Road and finally back to the stadium where prayers and speeches were due to be made. The demonstration attracted students, local traders and residents of the internally displaced camps. Several demonstrators carried placards, some of which read: ‘Stop pretence’, ‘How long must this go on?’ ‘Museveni must explain’, ‘Museveni must quit’. Business premises and all daily activities came to a standstill as the demonstration began. All public transport vehicles out of Lira were also not allowed to depart. He expressed discomfort at the military presence, thanked the people for turning up and asked them to return home. The crowd, however, was reluctant to leave and several people said they would rather get killed while pursing the right cause than return home. However, pandemonium soon broke out as the army shot in the air to disperse the crowd. Religious leaders led by the head of the Lango Religious Leaders Forum, Bishop Charles Odurkami, later went on local radios here and urged the public to remain calm. “Our sole aim was to pray for peace and mourn. All authorities including the police, army and government had been given prior notice of the peace march," Bishop Odurkami said on Radio Wa. Additional reporting by Frank Nyakairu and Halima Abdalla in Kampala |
© 2004 The Monitor Publications
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