For Okutu Del Coli and other Ugandans/members of the International Commuinty to read
THE ECHO
NORTHERN NEWS EXTRA
For un-censored news from Northern Uganda
April/May 2005
Introduction�
In March 2005, it was announced that the former president of Uganda Dr A Milton Obote might be returning home from exile. The excitement was palpable. All radio talk shows, newspaper pages for the months of March & April were taken up by the news. Even more excited, was the UPDF government. They thought just like it managed to achieve with its other opponnents (see or 14th issue) it was about to do the same with Dr. Obote.
Then the UPDF government received a bombshell. The UPC (Dr Obote's party) inside Uganda announced that any such return of the "Party President" would have to be determined by the people (i.e members of UPC) and not through any shadowy agreements involving the UPDF government. This clearly was NOT the news the dictatorship had hoped for. Its reposit was quick and characteristic of the UPDF. It sa
id as
soon as the UPC Party President stepped on Ugandan soil, Dr Obote would be taken to court for alleged crimes committed by his army whilst he was still in power. Dr Obote's reply was simple - "I'll be coming and see you in court".
That the UPC president may be confident of any such trial (were it to come to that) has to do with the fact that so many records have been kept of the activities of the UPDF as a rebel army whilst it fought the democratically elected UPC government. The UPC contend that countless massacres were carried out by the UPDF, many whilst impersonating the then government army, the UNLA e.g. a senior member of the UPDF (Pecos Kutesa) revealed on a Ugandan radio programme that " his role within the UPDF was that of impersonating the UNLA". Whilst another senior UPDF officer (Gen. Otafire)
revealed
recently that "they/UPDF used tricks to turn the local people against the government". These tricks/impersonations were nothing but massacres on a large scale carried out by the UPDF and blamed on their opponent (just like the UPDF are currently doing in Nothern Uganda).
Furthermore, a leading Ugandan human rights campaigner explained. He said that during the UPDF bush war, the UPDF rebel outfit had a tense relationship with another rebel group then fighting the UPC government. The leader of that other rebel group - Andrew Kayira, was at one time called for a meeting with Gen. Museveni. When Kayira got to Museveni's rebel hideout, he found Museveni seated in an island. Surrounding Museveni, were decapitated human heads. Kayira counted 30 human heads in all. Museveni then went on to tell Kayira that "this is how I deal with my opponnents". Kayira was
later
slain by the UPDF in 1987. And there are countless such stories about the UPDF during its "bush" days.
For the people of Northern Uganda though, whom Gen. Museveni described as "grasshoppers" - that he (Gen Museveni) would suffocate them like "one suffocates grasshopers in a bottle", the reign of terror goes on.
On this note and on behalf of the team, I welcome you to the 15th issue.
UPDF exact revenge.......
On the evening of 24 February 2005, a UPDF lorrry entered an LRA ambush at Latanya in Lagoro subcounty, Chua county in Kitgum district. When news reached civilians th
at UPDF
losses numbered upto 30 soldiers, people feared the worst. For it has become common practise, in the 19 years that the UPDF have been in Northern Uganda that whenever the UPDF suffer any losses, it comes after the civilian population, seeking revenge. It was against this backdrop that the two camps situated near Latanya - Kitgum Matidi and Lagoro, waited for the UPDF backlash fearing the worst.
The UPDF entered Kitgum Matidi camp at about 8pm. Any male person whether young or old that the UPDF came across were simply grabbed and taken to the compound of what used to be Kitgum Matidi primary school. Many dozen civilians were taken. It was at the "primary school" that work/the torture began. The civilians received relentless beatings right through the night. It is unclear how many may have lost the battle for life. But in the morning of 25 February 200
5, St.
Joseph's hospital Kitgum received many civilians with head injuries. For example Mr. Olanya was admitted requiring 15 stitches to his head wound. He spent the whole of February and March 2005 at St. Joseph's hospital.
At Lagoro camp, the people knowing what the UPDF would do, went to bed early. By 7pm, there was no sign of human activity at Lagoro camp. But even this did not deter the UPDF. The UPDF went from hut to hut plucking out civilians. Many were taken away by the UPDF and until today have never been seen nor heard from again (presumed to have been killed by the UPDF). Two of those presumed dead are James Nyeko and John Okech. Mrs Nyeko was tortured and raped whilst her husband was being taken away by the UPDF. The following day, she was taken t
o the
nearby Kitgum Matidi dispensary, but the nurses there could not safe her baby (she had a miscarriage).
Lagungu-gungu in Rackoko...
On 18 February 2005, a group of 14 year old girls set off from Rac-koko in Aruu county to go and harvest grass to thatch their parents' huts. They left the camp for Bolo village, all in Pader district. Some of the girls were identified as Sunday Amony, Lawino, Ayugi and Maria.
It was as they left that they noticed they were being followed by a group of UPDF soldiers (the girls counted 13 government soldiers). Whilst the UPDF have got a sinister reputation, the gir
ls
hopped for the best and that �God willing� nothing terrible would happen to them. When they reached the village and started cutting the grass they went for, the same group of UPDF soldiers emerged from nowhere. As a pretext, one of the UPDF soldiers started making claims that Sunday Amony was infact his ex-wife who ran away from him whilst he was at Pajule. This prompted the girls to explain to the soldiers that their friend at 14, was a year 2 secondary pupil at Rac-Koko secondary. The rest of the UPDF soldiers then came and grabbed Amony and carried her to a last remaining hut, in an abandoned home. Soon afterwards, the girls could hear Amony's scream. The rest of the UPDF soldiers then came for the remaining girls.
Maria decided not to wait for what was coming. She ran
as fast
as she could but the 3 UPDF soldiers who were giving her chase caught up with. The UPDF then beat Maria until blood was oozing from her head. Maria was brought back and raped with the rest of her friends.
After the UPDF had finished with the girls, they warned them that should the girls report what had happenned to them to people in the camp, they (the UPDF) would come back and kill all of them, including members of their family. Despite the threats, the girls reported the incident to people at the camp and the matter was taken to the UPDF authorities. But as as ever, nothing was done to the UPDF rapists.
Aringa massacre, the true story...
I
n April
2005, it was reported in the Ugandan media that the UPDF shot and killed 5 Acholi women who had gone fishing. The report further said the UPDF mistakenly took the 5 women for LRA rebels. This, like much of the stories coming out of Northern Uganda through official channels was nothing but a distortion of what actually took place (such lies are often propagated by the UPDF to keep whoever wants to know in the dark about what REALLY is happening in Northern Uganda). Here is the truth of what happenned.
On 22 April 2005, about 20 civilians left Mucwini camp to go fishing in Aringa river (about 1.5 kms away). The civilan party included both women, men and the youth. The civilians travelled in groups. When the first group finished fishing, they then left Aringa heading back for the camp. This group included mainly women and the youth. As the civilia
n party
travelled towards the camp, they came across soldiers of the UPDF. The UPDF did not bother with them (they were not stopped nor were they asked any questions). When the second group of civilians came across the same group of UPDF soldiers who numbered about 15, they were all ordered to stop and sit down. It was at this point that the UPDF started demanding to see the civilians ID. The civilians explained everything to the UPDF (i.e. that they were from Mucwini camp, which was only 15 minute walk away and that if they UPDF did not believe them, they could go and meet the camp leader).
The UPDF's reaction to the civilians' explanation was to unleash bouts of beatings. It was whilst the civilians who numbered about a dozen were being beaten that another (unrelated civilian) emerged out of the bush carrying a piece of stick. This late
st
civilian had been hunting wild beast (for food). The UPDF did not waste time with him by asking for his identitification. He was shot on the spot. Having shot the first civilian the UPDF then turned its attention to the other people it was holding. The UPDF started shooting them. At this point some of the men got up and started running for their lives. The UPDF rained fire on them too. Those who were seated, including 4 women were shot by the UPDF whilst they sat down. When the UPDF had finished, 10 people had been killed. The eleventh person who narrated to people in the camp what actually happened, died the following day from gunshot wounds.
Whilst this was a massacre the UPDF could not deny, it nevertheless came out with one of its template responses i.e. that it mistook the civilians for the LRA (usually it
claims
that the massacres were carried out by the LRA). Whether it assumed the civilians (who incidentally were carrying fish back to the camp) were LRA rebels of not, the fact remains that the civilians were murdered whilst in UPDF custody.
UPDF abduct, murder, children in Adilang....
On 9 April 2005, 4 girls set off from Adilang camp to go and collect firewood from their abandoned homesteads. The girls who were in their mid-teens were identified as Joska Akello, Paska Achola, Mary Akidi and Pamela Aryemo. When the girls got to their former homestead, they separated with each going to collect firewood in a different direction. The only survivor amongst them, Akello narrates that as she had finished gathering her firewood, s
he
waited in vain for her friends. It was after a long wait that she dicided to rush back to the camp and seek help from other people. At the camp, when she explained how her friends had mysteriously vanished, news spread fast and people went to meet the UPDF commander. The UPDF agreed for the civilians to go out and look for their missing friends.
Not long after the civilians had left the camp, they came across the UPDF. The UPDF ordered the civilians to stop. They then demanded from the civilians where they were going. When the civilians explained, the UPDF bagan chasing them to go back to the camp. The UPDF said it was already too late (which was strange as the time was only 12.45pm). When the civilians showed reluctance, the UPDF then started hitting
them.
Akidi's mother was hit on the head with the metal back of a UPDF gun. She had a swollen head from beatings received from the UPDF.
On the morning of 10 April 2005 and with no news of the girls, even a larger number of civilians decided to leave the camp to go looking for the girls. This time the civilians did not meet with the UPDF. On reaching the suspected area, the civilians ventured into an abandoned homestead. At the entrance, they found Akidi's blouse drenched in blood. A few steps away they found her underwear. When the civilians entered a hut, they found Akidi's body - with her skirt placed upon her face. Akidi had been raped and strangled until she died. Outside the hut, there were footmarks of soldiers all over the compound (in Uganda, soldiers wear distinct
footwear/shoes - which is unique and available only to them). There were also empty cans of "Tyson waragi" and cigarete filters all over the compound. The bodies of Aryemo and Achola were not found for another week (having badly decomposed). Their remains were found far away from where Akidi was killed. They too had been murdered in the most vicious way.
When the above murders were reported to the UPDF, they blamed the LRA. But as everyone knows in Northern Uganda, the LRA do not drink, let alone drink "Tyson waragi". The above murders were the actions of non other than the UPDF.
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