Tag Archives: documentation

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

Forgotten Victims: Recounting Atrocities Committed in Odek Sub-County by the LRA and NRA

Field Notes, , , ,
Forgotten Victims - Recounting Atrocities Committed in OdekSub-County by the LRA and NRA_SM
Forgotten Victims: Recounting Atrocities Committed in Odek Sub-County by the LRA and NRA, JRP Field Note 21, November 2014

In its efforts to document the voices of the victims of the conflict in northern Uganda, based on the belief that through facilitating communities to tell their stories in their own terms and words not only helps to bring some relief to the victims but also contributes to better inform transitional justice processes, the Justice and Reconciliation Project launches this field note as a first step to acknowledge what happened in Odek sub-county. The purpose of this report is twofold. First, it seeks to make visible the atrocities committed by the NRA and the LRA in Odek and how it affected the lives of individuals and the community as a whole. Second, it aims to show how Odek is silently fighting another war; the war that comes with stigmatisation and exclusion. This report shows how the impact of the war continues to affect the daily lives of the people of Odek, and undermines its prospects of achieving lasting peace and reconciliation.
Read this entire report here: Forgotten Victims (pdf)

 

JRP documents the conflict experiences of Joseph Kony’s birthplace – Odek

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Watch out for JRP’s upcoming report on the experiences of the community of Odek, the birthplace of LRA leader Joseph Kony. ‘The Forgotten Victims’ chronicles the collective memories of violence, massacres, torture, abduction and displacement as told by community members, many of whom feel that their story has been mis-told by outsiders and obscured by the shadow of Kony.

By telling their story in this report, the community is eager to change its image which has been consistently marred as being the home of perpetrators of conflict. They also hope to actively involve themselves in transitional justice processes which they feel they have been previously side-lined from.

The Forgotten Victims, JRP’s 21st Field Note will be out November 2014.

Read more JRP documentation here.

Namokora survivors’ group commemorates massacre, plan way forward

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Namokora Massacre Memorial 2014-08-19 (37)
Retired Anglican Bishop of Kitgum Archdioces Bishop Macleord Baker Ochola leads the Namokora massacre memorial prayers in Namokora sub-county, Kitgum District, 19 August 2014.

Last week, JRP’s Documentation team met with the Namokora LCIII and chairperson of the Namokora United Relatives of the Massacred and Survivors Association, Charles Onen, to discuss the second annual memorial for the 1986 Namokora massacre. This year was only the second time since 1986 that the massacre has been commemorated but Mr. Onen was enthusiastic as he told us about the progress the community is making in advocating for reparations and acknowledgment for the victims and their families.

As part of the commemorative initiatives, the Namokora suvivors association arranged a two day vigil on the 17th and 18th of August to pay respect to the 71 people that died during the operation led by the National Resistance Army’s 35th Battalion in Namokora sub-county, Kitgum District. On the 19th, a memorial event was held at the Namokora massacre memorial site where JRP’s Field Note ‘Occupation and Carnage: Recounting Atrocities Committed by the NRA’s 35th Battalion in Namokora Sub-County in August 1986’ was officially launched to the community. Retired Anglican Bishop of Kitgum Archdioces Bishop Macleord Baker Ochola, Kitgum District officials, other councilors, civil society, as well as Namokora massacre survivors from other sub-counties incl Orom, Kitgum Matidi and Lagoro were all in attendance.

During the memorial, representatives of orphans, elders and widows of the massacre were all given an opportunity to speak. In their speeches, many expressed their frustration in the lack of response from the their local leaders. One representative specifically said that because the victims and survivors felt that their leaders would not forward their concerns to the government, they would themselves trek to Kampala themselves to seek redress. Many saw the launch of the JRP report Occupation and Carnage as an important tool to redress their challenges.

Representatives of relatives of victims and survivors of the massacre also held a press conference at the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) in Gulu on Thursday 22 August 2014 to brief the media on the Namokora massacre, discuss a position paper developed by the survivors group, and detail the action the group intends to take.

 Read JRP’s Field Note Occupation and Carnage here: http://justiceandreconciliation.com/2014/04/occupation-and-carnage-recounting-atrocities-committed-by-the-nras-35th-battalion-in-namokora-sub-county-in-august-1986-fn-xix-march-2014/

It Was Only The Gun Speaking launched in Arua

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Survivors of the Ombaci massacre of 1981, 24 June 2014
Survivors of the Ombaci massacre of 1981, 24 June 2014

 

On 24 June 2014, JRP attended the second annual memorial of the Ombaci Massacre of 1981 at the Ombaci Catholic Mission, Arua in the West Nile sub-region of northern Uganda. The event, organised by members of the Ombaci War Victim’s Association, consisted of a memorial prayer led by the Bishop of Arua diocese, the Rt. Rev. Sabino Odoki, and a follow-up event, which included presentations by survivors of the massacre. In his speech, Bishop Odoki called upon the people to speak out against oppression, crimes and human rights violations. He also called for reconciliation among the peoples of West Nile, and with those outside of the sub-region. He also identified the trauma that still exists for victims of massacres like those in Ombaci as needing to be addressed.

The event was also attended by Bernard Atiku, the Member of Parliament for Ayivu county in Arua, who pledged to work with the survivors group to improve the massacre memorial site, as well as the Arua Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Peter Debele, among others.

The event concluded with the launch of JRP’s 20th Field Note It Was Only the Gun Speaking, With a Pool of Blood Flowing: the Ombaci Massacre  June 24, 1981.

 

 

Voices Magazine Issue 7

Newsletters & Magazines, , , , , ,

Voices Issue 07 cover_sm

After years of engaging with survivors of conflict in northern Uganda, the Justice and Reconciliation Project’s work has revealed sexual and gender based violence as one of the most complex defining characteristics of the war that took place in the region. As such, addressing the issue has proven to be one of the biggest challenges facing peace-builders. In JRP’s recent Field Note – The Beasts at Burcoro – community members describe the molestation, rape and torture both men and women suffered at the hands of the National Resistance Army’s 22nd Battalion in 1991. Over twenty years after the occurrence, many survivors still harbour the lingering effects of the attack because mechanisms designed to address their specific needs have not been provided for them. This issue of Voices magazine deals with this very relevant aspect of transitional justice today, and examines the ways in which it can be addressed. Read more here (pdf)

Read the entire issue here: Voices Issue 07 (pdf)

It Was Only the Gun Speaking, With a Pool of Blood Flowing The Ombaci Massacre: June 24, 1981

Field Notes, , ,
It Was Only the Gun Speaking, With a Pool of Blood Flowing: The Ombaci Massacre: June 24, 1981 JRP Field Note 20, June 2014
It Was Only the Gun Speaking, With a Pool of Blood Flowing: The Ombaci Massacre: June 24, 1981
JRP Field Note 20, June 2014

Located just 4 kilometres north-west of Arua town on the Kaya Highway/Rhino Camp Road, in Arua District is Ombaci College. On Wednesday, June 24, 1981, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) attacked civilians who had taken refuge at Ombaci Colleges, claiming the lives of close to 100 people and leaving countless wounded.

This report presents a detailed account of what took place during the Ombaci Massacre and the lasting effect it has had on the survivors based on individual interviews and focus group discussions with survivors and relatives of the victims.

The massacre was by all accounts extremely chaotic, with groups of soldiers entering from all sides of the school and mission, and roving from room to room shooting and looting. This highlights the challenges survivors continue to face and make a number of recommendations which arose from our interviews, chiefly a call for compensation of survivors, as well as support for livelihoods, education, and reconciliation.

Read the entire report here:

Ombaci (English)

Ombaci (Lugbara)

Occupation and Carnage: Recounting Atrocities Committed by the NRA’s 35th Battalion in Namokora Sub-County in August 1986 FN XIX, March 2014

Field Notes, , , , , ,
Occupation and Carnage Recounting Atrocities Committed by the NRA’s 35th Battalion in Namokora Sub-County in August 1986 JRP Field Note XIX, March 2014
Occupation and Carnage
Recounting Atrocities Committed by the NRA’s 35th
Battalion in Namokora Sub-County in August 1986
JRP Field Note XIX, March 2014

Namokora is located 56 kilometres east of Kitgum town and is one of the sub-counties that frequently come up when there are discussions or debates regarding state orchestrated abuses in northern Uganda. On the 19th of August 1986, the 35th Battalion of the National Resistance Army (NRA) allegedly massacred up to 71 men and women from Namokora and other surrounding sub-counties in a lorry at Wiigweng in Oryang village, and Namokora sub-county. These men and women were accused of being rebel collaborators and/or having plans to oust the newly formed NRA government in Kampala.

Herded into the lorry, over 89 civilians founded themselves being piled onto each other with hardly any space as they were driven to an unknown destination while being closely followed by a white pickup filled with armed NRA soldiers. After driving for about three kilometes, they were indiscriminately shot at, resulting in the death of 71 men and women and the injury of scores of others. Since burials did not happen immediately after the shooting most of the bodies were feasted on by dogs and other beasts within that area.

This report provides narratives of key events leading to the Namokora massacre of 1986 based on the testimonies of survivors and relatives. It also looks at developments in that community from 1986 to date and makes specific recommendations to the government and non-governmental organisations to provide compensation to the survivors of the massacre, to address the health consequences of the NRA operation in Namokora and to support the formation of a community based victims support groups.

Read the entire Field Note here: Namokora (pdf)