Tag Archives: Community Documentation

“Lukodi Massacre Victims Struggle To Live With Memories,” Uganda Radio Network, 27 May 2011

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“Lukodi Massacre Victims Struggle To Live With Memories,” Uganda Radio Network, 27 May 2011
http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=33984

By Joe Wacha

The survivors of the 2004 massacre at Lukodi internally displaced people’s camp in Gulu district say they require government to urgently initiate mechanisms to help them cope with the dreadful memories of the attack.

Survivors of the 2004 Lukodi massacre in Gulu district say they are individually carrying the burden of the atrocities committed during the war due to lack of government support to heal the past.

Many of the survivors say they require truth-telling by all the parties in the massacre, construction of memorials to honor the dead, acknowledging the past and a comprehensive reparation to be able to move on from the incident.

On May 19, 2004, a group of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels descended on the Lukodi displaced people’s after overpowering a nearby military unit and murdered over 50 people. The rebels also destroyed property, abducted scores of the IDPs, while others managed to escape with bullet wounds. Only a few huts and a memorial stone inscribed with some of the names of the people who died in the attack, stands near the ground that used to be the camp.

However, seven years after the attack, the victims complain that government has done nothing to help them recover from the traumatic incident.

Nelson Oloya, a resident of Lukodi village, on whose land the IDP camp once stood, tearfully recalls how the rebels killed his family members. Oloya ran to Gulu town. He explains that although he is now back home, memories of the past still haunt him. He says government should establish counseling services to help them overcome the trauma.

Doreen Abalo, another victim who lost her husband and three step children in the attack, explains that she is haunted by memories. Abalo explains that her only relief is when she meets with the village mates to share experiences.

Abalo says she wants the murderers to be prosecuted and government to compensate people who lost their relatives and property or got wounded. Although the Juba peace agreement between the government and LRA rebels provides for reparations for war victims, the government is yet to implement the resolution.

Barlington P’angwec, the LC5 representative for Bungatira Sub County repeated the calls for urgent reparations. He wondered how government could quickly compensate victims of the July 2010 bomb blasts in Kampala and ignore those in northern Uganda.

The UN Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violation also demands that victims adequate, prompt and appropriate remedies for victims.

Evelyn Akullo, a research officer at Justice and Reconciliation Project explains that the victims are struggling to find ways to deal with the past and move on with life amidst a strong need to reconcile with each other and what happened to them.

She says government should design and implement an inclusive and transparent reparations policy for the victims. Barlonyo, Atiak, Burcoro and Mucwini are some of the other massacre sites where people still wait for compensation.

“LRA Victims Want ICC to Share Report On Atrocities Read,” Uganda Radio Network, 26 May 2011

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“LRA Victims Want ICC to Share Report On Atrocities Read,” Uganda Radio Network, 26 May 2011
http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=33953&PHPSESSID=a9da224d4ed6ee8f3e95602f7925995d

By Dennis Olaka

LRA war victims want the report on the attacks to be made public.

Victims of the LRA rebels’ massacre in Lukodi village, Bungatira Sub County in Gulu district want government and the International Criminal Court to share findings of forensic investigations into the attack in the area by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.

This is contained in a report that was presented by Justice and Reconciliation project – JRP at a function held on Wednesday to remember the victims of the 2004 attack.

More than 60 people were massacred and dozens more injured and abducted from Lukodi when the LRA rebels attacked the area on May 19th 2004.

A team of officials from the ICC are said to have conducted investigations immediately after the massacre but the findings have never been shared. The victims say they don’t know who to hold accountable for the attack because of the absence of the report.

56-year-old Doreen Abalo, who lost her husband and many other relatives in the massacre says it is still a pain to wake up to the memories of the gruesome murder. She recalls that on that day, all family members were sleeping in a hut when they were woken up by the cries of people being butchered by the rebels at around 4:00am.

Abalo says a child rebel attacked the house ordering them out. Her husband was hit several times on the head with a panga and he died instantly.

She adds that three of her children were abducted and she has never seen them to date.

Another victim, Nelson Oloya Ibango-loch breaks down while narrating how he narrowly escaped as rebels fired several bullets at him.

Women in Lukodi reading the new report on the Lukodi massacre

Community Launch of the Lukodi Massacre Report

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Women in Lukodi reading the new report on the Lukodi massacre

Yesterday, JRP launched its latest report, The Lukodi Massacre: 19th May 2004, through a community outreach event in Lukodi Training Center. The event was attended by dozens of community members, JRP staff, women from Child Voice International, and the Rwot of Patiko. Details of a policy-level launch in Gulu Town are forthcoming.

On May 19, 2004, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) raided the village of Lukodi and carried out a massacre that led to the death of over sixty people. Lukodi, a village that is located 17 kilometers north of Gulu Town, is one of the many villages in northern Uganda that suffered from persistent LRA attacks. After the massacre, the community was displaced to Coope IDP camp for three years and only began returning home after the dissolution of the Juba peace talks in 2008.

This report reconstructs a narrative of the Lukodi massacre and the major events that unfolded on that day. The documentation centers on learning the experiences of the community prior to and during the massacre, the impact the massacre has had on the population, and the transitional justice (TJ) challenges they continue to face today.

To download the full report, click here.

Lukodi Massacre Report Launch, 25 May 2011

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On Wednesday, 25th May 2011, a week after the annual Lukodi massacre memorial day, JRP held a community launch at Lukodi Market,  Lukodi village, Bungatira sub-county, Gulu district, for its latest report, The Lukodi Massacre: 19th May 2004.

The report reconstructs a narrative of the Lukodi massacre and the major events that unfolded on May 19, 2004. It came about as a response to community leaders in Lukodi asking for the documentation of their conflict experiences for purpose of acknowledgement and preserving memory. The report contains key recommendations to the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders, in line with the people of Lukodi — calling for reparations, the sharing of findings of the official investigation carried out after the massacre, and support for community initiatives, including a truth-telling process in which the community, the Government and LRA take part.

To read the full report, click here.

“Mukura victims poorly compensated- report,” New Vision, 19 May 2011

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“Mukura victims poorly compensated- report,” New Vision, 19 May 2011

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/17/755202?highlight&q=In%20Memory%20of%20Mukura%20Victims

 

By Godfrey Ojore

A report by the justice and reconciliation project on the 1989 Mukura massacre has said compensation of relatives of the victims was poorly handled.

The report pinned former Kumi MP Jaff Akiror for excluding names of relatives who had missed out on the compensation package.

The report, compiled last year, said Akiror only paid six out of the 47 known survivors.

“This contradicts an article published in the media in January which said 88 families had been paid sh209m,” the report read in part.

The report was launched at Mukura Memorial Secondary School, which the Government built in memory of the victims.

“The President instructed the Attorney General to assess the damage and ensure full compensation to the victims and the families of the deceased. What then was Akiror’s role in the process,” the report questioned.

Lead researcher Lino Ongora said they were not happy with Akiror’s involvement because she did not conduct proper verification of the relatives of the deceased, resulting in many of them missing on the paying list.

However, Akiror rejected the report. “Did they show you bank statements indicating that I did not pay the relatives of the deceased? Didn’t they know that as an MP, I had a right to collect the money and distribute it?” she asked.

However, at the launch of the report, two old women, Tereza Amujal and Madelena Adongo who lost their sons, said they were not paid. “I was told the money was over. So I went back,” Adongo who lost her sons, John Olinga and Lawrence Oboi, said.

The Government has constructed a mass grave at the railway station where the incident occurred.
Kumi resident district commissioner Samuel Mpimbaza Hasaka received the report on behalf of the Government.

In 1989 during the insurgency in Teso region, soldiers rounded up people suspected to be rebels and herded them into a train wagon before setting fire beneath it.
About 69 people are said to have died due to suffocation.

He, however, pointed out that the report did not include the achievements done by the Government like erecting the monument, apology of the President to the people of Teso and constructing a secondary school.

“That was a stupid mistake by a few indisciplined army officers. It is regrettable and painful,” Hasaka said.

The report recommends government to bring to book the perpetrators of this horrendous act and finalise policy on reparation to provide clear guidelines for the victims of the past atrocities.

In 1989 during insurgency in Teso region, soldiers rounded up people suspected to be rebels and herded them into a train wagon before setting fire beneath it.

About 69 people are said to have died due to suffocation in the wagon.

A community member in Mukura reacts to JRP’s latest report

Launching the Mukura Massacre Report

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A community member in Mukura reacts to JRP’s latest report

This week JRP launched its latest report titled, The Mukura Massacre of 1989, on May 10 & 11 in Kumi town and Mukura trading centre, respectively. The launches were well attended by survivors, victims’ families, religious leaders, local leaders, the RDC and DISO of Kumi district, and the LCVs of both Kumi and Ngora.

On July 11, 1989, the 106th battalion of the National Resistance Army allegedly rounded up 300 men from Mukura, a small village in eastern Uganda, and incarcerated them in train wagon number C521083. By the time they were released, 69 of them had suffocated to death.

Twenty-two years later, our report reconstructs an account of what took place to bring the concerns of victims to the attention of the Government and other stakeholders.

To access the full report, click here.

Mukura Massacre Report Launch, May 2011

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From May 10-11, JRP launched its latest report, The Mukura Massacre of 1989, in Kumi town and Mukura trading centre, respectively.

On July 11, 1989, the 106th battalion of the National Resistance Army (NRA) allegedly rounded up 300 men from Mukura, a small village in eastern Uganda, and surrounding areas, and incarcerated some of them in train wagon number C521083. These men were suspected of being rebel collaborators against the NRA regime, but there is little evidence to suggest that most of them were anything other than innocent civilians. Trapped in the crowded train wagon, trying not to trample on one another, the men struggled to breathe, and by the time they were released, after more than four hours, sixty-nine of them had suffocated to death.

Twenty-two years later, JRP reconstructs an account of what took place using narratives from survivors, in order to bring the concerns of victims to the attention of the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders. This report aims to improve the implementation of future post-conflict transitional justice (TJ) initiatives in Uganda and elsewhere through analysis and recommendations for victims’ involvement in TJ processes.

To download the report, click here.

The memorial monument stone in Lukodi remembers those who died in the massacre

The Lukodi Massacre: 19th May 2004, FNXIII

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The memorial monument stone in Lukodi remembers those who died in the massacre
The memorial monument stone in Lukodi remembers those who died in the massacre

On the 19th of May 2004, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) raided the village of Lukodi, and carried out a massacre that led to the death of over sixty people. Lukodi village is located seventeen kilometers north of Gulu town, in Gulu district. It is one of the many villages in northern Uganda that suffered from persistent LRA attacks, leading to the death of several people. Northern Uganda has been under conflict for over twenty years, as a result of a civil war waged mainly between the rebels of the LRA and the Government of Uganda (GoU). The impacts of the conflict have been devastating, characterized by the displacement of over 1.8 million people into IDP camps, loss of lives, and abduction of over 38,000 children by the LRA to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves.1 Lukodi, like many other villages in northern Uganda, was severely affected by the conflict, leading to the displacement of the inhabitants of the village who were forced to seek refuge in the congested camp of Coope2 for three years. The people of Lukodi were able to begin returning to their homes as a result of the relative peace which ensued in northern Uganda after the conclusion of the Juba peace talks in November 2008.

This report reconstructs a narrative of the Lukodi massacre and the major events that unfolded on that fateful day of 19th May 2004. The documentation centered on learning the experiences of this community prior to and during the massacre, the impact the massacre had on the population and the transitional justice challenges they continue to face today. It tells the story of a people that suffered from a horrible attack on their village in 2004, and were subsequently displaced for almost three years. It further looks at the current reintegration challenges faced by the people of Lukodi, now that the people are returning from displacement and trying to rebuild their lives, but in the process have to struggle with daunting resettlement challenges, in addition to complex questions on how to approach issues of reconciliation between victims and alleged perpetrators within the community. Many war affected communities in northern Uganda are faced with a similar scenario as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives in the wake of the conflict, characterized by difficulty to cope with their trauma, and challenges in the pursuit of their justice and reconciliation needs, specifically the need for accountability and reparations.

This report also briefly reflects on the visit and investigation carried out by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Lukodi. As revealed by respondents, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor and the Ugandan Police visited Lukodi several times in the wake of the massacre, with the aim of gathering evidence for the case against the LRA. The report shows that, however well intended this intervention may have been, it has failed to serve the justice needs of the people in Lukodi. Rather than providing them with a solution, the ICC intervention has left the victims with more questions than answers regarding how to approach the question of accountability for perpetrators. Giving the victims a voice, this report therefore makes suggestions to the policy makers, practitioners and other stakeholders on how to address accountability issues using more appropriate means.

The report finally concludes with recommendations to the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders, in line with views and opinions gathered from the people of Lukodi. The people of Lukodi call for reparations, sharing of the findings of the official investigations carried out after the massacre, support for community reconciliation initiatives and a truth-telling process in which the community, the LRA and the Government of Uganda will take part. These views are shared by many war affected people all over northern Uganda, and therefore require the attention of the stakeholders in question.

To access the report, click here.

Train tracks in Mukura near where the infamous train wagon sat

The Mukura Massacre of 1989, FN XII

Field Notes, , , ,
Train tracks in Mukura near where the infamous train wagon sat
Train tracks in Mukura near where the infamous train wagon sat

On July 11, 1989, the 106th battalion of the National Resistance Army (NRA)1 allegedly rounded up 300 men from Mukura and other surrounding areas and incarcerated some of them in train wagon number

C521083. These men were suspected of being rebel collaborators against the NRA regime, but there is little evidence to suggest that most of them were anything other than innocent civilians. Trapped in the crowded train wagon, trying not to trample on one another, the men struggled to breathe, and by the time they were released after more than four hours, 69 of them had suffocated to death, while 47 of them survived.

Twenty two years after the occurrence of this massacre, the Justice and Reconciliation Project (JRP) reconstructs an account of what took place, using narratives from survivors, in order to bring the concerns of victims to the attention of the Government and other stakeholders. Through our interactions with survivors of the massacre, we learnt that besides constructing a memorial mass grave in which the dead were buried, the Government also supported the construction of the Mukura Memorial Senior Secondary School and a public library in memory of those who lost their lives.

This report aims at providing a narrative of key events leading up to the massacre, based on the testimonies of survivors, and explores the major initiatives which were used by the incumbent Government to promote accountability, healing and reconciliation for the families of the Mukura victims and the survivors from the train wagon. A central finding of this report is that most of these initiatives to provide reparation—though likely well intentioned—were implemented in an untimely manner, with little involvement and consultation of the victims and in times of increased political incentive for Government. As such, the people do not attach much significance and ownership to structures such as the mass grave and Mukura Memorial Senior Secondary School. The report concludes with lessons learnt and recommendations aimed at improving the implementation of future post-conflict transitional justice (TJ) initiatives which the government may undertake in other parts of the country, such as northern Uganda which has recently emerged from conflict.

To access the report, click here.