Tag Archives: Arua

34 years later: more questions on Ombaci

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By Stephen Ssenkaaba

Thirty-Four years since the Ombaci massacre in the Northern Uganda district of Arua, more questions than answers abound.

As victims, their families and leaders in Arua came together this year to commemorate the massacre in which the Uganda National Liberation Army(UNLA) soldiers-in pursuit of Uganda army rebels- killed more than 100 innocent civilians- concerns over reparation, reconciliation and the plight of several poor survivors still linger.

“We hope that finally something can be done to address these issues,” Stephen Acidri, the coordinator of a recently founded Ombaci Massacres Survivors Association said.

The Massacre

On Wednesday, June 24, 1981 UNLA soldiers rounded up Arua town in pursuit of rebels and former soldiers of the Uganda Army.

This brought about tension.

“The soldiers attacked homes, looted property and drove us from our homes,” 84 year old Ismail Saidi, a survivor, said.

In order to escape the wrath of the soldiers, Saidi and many people sought refuge inside the premises of St. Joseph’s college Ombaci and the Catholic Mission nearby.

“It is while hiding here for our lives that we were attacked by the soldiers who thought we were concealing rebels and or collaborating with them,” Saidi, who lost a daughter and two nephews recalls.

“They came into the store where we were hiding and showered us with bullets, they went into the carpentry, the church and other places around the school and the mission killing people.”

After about four hours of shooting, nearly 100 people were dead and several others injured and abandoned at a makeshift camp that had been erected by the Red Cross.

No amends

Since the massacre, Acidri says very little has been done to heal the wounds of one of the most brutal attacks on innocent civilians in Uganda’s recent history.

“Not much has been done to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to book. No efforts have been taken to establish a truth and reconciliation process to facilitate the healing in this attack that hurt so many people and divided communities. What’s more, there has been no attempt to establish responsibility for these crimes,” Acidri says.

On the ground in Arua, many people claiming to be survivors are coming up and seeking to be compensated. And yet, without clear mechanisms to authenticate the claimants, the identification process risks being taken advantage of. Serious doubts also remain over any plans to hold perpetrators accountable for the human rights abuses that were committed in this gruesome murder.

Poor documentation

The Uganda Human Rights Commission has made recent visits to the site where the massacre took place but has yet to come up with a comprehensive report.

However, a 2013 report by the Justice and Reconciliation project (JRP) indicates that the government soldiers at the time (UNLA) violated international law for which the government of Uganda is still responsible.

“The murders and looting clearly amount to crimes against humanity…” says the report which adds: “What makes the Ombaci massacre such an agregious violation was the deliberate targeting of civilians, a religious mission and of clergy and International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) personnel, who are explicitly protected in instances of non-international armed conflict such as this one under Common Article 3 of the four Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war.”

Rt. Rev Fredrick Drandua, the retired bishop of Arua Catholic Diocese- who was an influential leader in Arua at the time of the massacre says that for all the atrocities that took place then, “there is need for all of us to rise above the bad days and forge ahead by doing good, forgiving and forgetting.”

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/671542-34-years-later-more-questions-on-ombaci.html

The Right to Know – Missing Persons filming in West Nile

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JRP’s Community Mobilization and Communication Teams recently traveled to Arua in Uganda’s West Nile region to shoot footage for our Missing Person’s documentary. Although I am interning with the Gender Justice department, I am a trained filmmaker, so I joined them for the four hour—sometimes very bumpy—ride to Arua to shoot video footage.

 Our first interviewee was a woman named Norah whose son, Neville, has been missing since September 19, 2002. He was traveling from Kampala to Arua to go shopping for his upcoming studies at Makerere University. The LRA attacked the Nile Coach Bus he was on and for nearly ten years, Norah has been searching for answers to find out the whereabouts of Neville. To this day, she still does not know if her son was killed as he was never identified as dead or abducted.

 Although many victims are seeking compensation from the government for the loss of their family members—something that Norah should be entitled to, especially as she is a widow and Neville was the new breadwinner of the family—Norah told JRP that she only seeks answers about her son.

 JRP also interviewed Emmanuel, one of Norah’s other sons. It was an emotional interview, with Emmanuel crying throughout most of the time he was on camera. Our hearts went out to him as he described how Neville was like a father figure and how he wishes he had gone missing instead. He continued to explain that he had a medical condition that made him ill, and that he cannot help the family financially. After the interview, Emmanuel was still crying, and we assured him that we would tell Neville’s story to the world. 

 We also talked to Scovia, one of Neville’s best friends. She said Neville was a kind person, and watched out for her when a group of teenage boys tried beating up some of the girls at her school. Neville warned them not to hurt Scovia and she fondly remembers how they never did. She recalls Neville’s sweet spirit and protective nature and continues waiting for the day when she can talk with him again.

 A representative from Nile Coach Bus Company also graciously offered to speak to us, recalling the many times that the LRA attacked their busses. They had drivers killed, busses burnt, and friends injured during the attacks. The representative explained how he yearns for answers, too, and how the incidents greatly affected their business and personal lives.

 As we journeyed back to Gulu, I couldn’t stop thinking about Neville, wondering where he is now. The pictures of him are still engrained in my mind—images of a tall, handsome young man, with intelligence and ambition ready to take on the world. People like Neville are the reason JRP continues the important work they are engaged in.

 So we continue to seek justice, ask questions, and lift up the voices of those who need answers. We stand alongside Norah, Emmanuel, Scovia, and the Nile Bus Company, continuing to raise awareness about the situation, searching for answers. As we were leaving, Norah said, “I thank JRP because you are the one letting my voice be heard.” So we lift up her voice to the world, in honor of Neville and the many other people who are missing as a result of the conflict.