The Raging Storm

Caroline Lamwaka

Description

The Raging Storm: A Reporter’s Inside Account of the Northern Uganda War, 1986-2005 is a highly personal and inside account of the northern Uganda war by a young woman whose early encounter with the conflict was as an on-the-ground war correspondent. Caroline Lamwaka’s experiences as a war-time journalist inform the narrative, the research and the broader perspective of an academically trained war and peace researcher.  The book examines four phases of the northern Uganda war. These are: the war in Acholi, Lango and Teso; the peace efforts to end the war; the impact of the war; and coping with the impact of insurgency.  Caroline Lamwaka joins other authentic voices examining the northern Uganda war.

1. The National Resistance Movement Comes to Power 2. A Brief Political History 3. War in Acholi 4. War in Lango and Teso 5. Mission to Northern Uganda 6. Peace Efforts Begin 7. NRA-UPDA Talks Advance 8. War Continues 9. Civil War in Teso 10. A Stalemate in Peace Efforts 11. The Impact of the War on Women and Children 12. Coping with War 13. Insecurity or Not, Life Must Continue 14. Coping with Insurgency: Health and Education 15. Attempts at Peace: 1999-2005 16. General Observations and Conclusions

Sujets

• Reportage
• Africa
• History
• East
• History of Africa
• Journalism
• East Africa
• War correspondent
• News
• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: Fountain Publishers
• Date de parution: 14 décembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789970196753
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 15 Mo

Extrait

T h e R a g i n g S t o r m A Reporter’s Inside Account of the Northern Uganda War, 1986-2005

Caroline Lamwaka

Edited by Ronald R. Atkinson

fountainpublishers www.fountainpublishers.co.ug

Fountain Publishers P. O. Box 488 Kampala, Uganda E-mail: [e-mail]  [e-mail] Website: www.fountainpublishers.co.ug

Distributed in Europe and Commonwealth countries outside Africa by: African Books Collective Ltd, P. O. Box 721, Oxford OX1 9EN, UK. Tel/Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Website: www.africanbookscollective.com

© Caroline Lamwaka 2016 First published 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Typeset by Ronald Kasule Senfuka

ISBN 978-9970-25-221-3

1.

Contents

Introduction................................................................................................ xi The Making of the Book....................................................................................xi About the Author: A Brief Biographical Sketch ............................................... xv The Book: An Overview ................................................................................. xix The Old Homestead ........................................................................................xx

The National Resistance Movement Comes to Power ............................ 1 Caught in the Crossfire ..................................................................................... 1 After the Take-Over ......................................................................................... 4 Museveni as President ....................................................................................... 6 Victimisation of Northerners in the South ........................................................ 8 The Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) ............................................. 13 Initial UNLA Resistance .................................................................................. 17

2. A Brief Political History ............................................................................ 20 Colonial Uganda .............................................................................................. 20 Political Parties in the Late Colonial and Early Independence Periods ............ 21 Obote’s First Regime (“Obote I”) ................................................................... 23 Obote and Amin.............................................................................................. 28 The Removal of Idi Amin................................................................................. 30 Obote’s Second Regime (“Obote II”).............................................................. 35 Tito Okello Lutwa Comes to Power............................................................... 36 The 27 July 1985 Bazilio Olara Okello Coup ................................................. 40 Reactions to the Coup..................................................................................... 42 Tito Okello Lutwa’s Regime............................................................................ 43 The Nairobi Peace Talks.................................................................................. 44

3.

War in Acholi ............................................................................................. 49 Seeds of a Rebellion......................................................................................... 49 Uganda People’s Democratic Army ................................................................ 60 The Namokora Killings.................................................................................... 61 The Akilok and Namokora Battles .................................................................. 67 Different Faces of the NRA............................................................................. 69 Gulu and the Surrounding Areas ..................................................................... 72 Divisions within the Rebel Movement............................................................. 74 Alice Auma Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Movement ................................................ 75

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iv The Raging Storm

Joseph Kony and His Holy Spirit Movement (HSM)........................................ 83 Severino Okoya: Another Holy Spirit Rebel Leader ....................................... 84 The Appeal of the Rebel Spiritual Movements ................................................ 85

4. War in Lango and Teso ............................................................................ 88 Causes of the Uprising .................................................................................... 88 Insurgency in Lango......................................................................................... 88 Insurgency in Teso ........................................................................................... 90 The Case of George William Oguli ................................................................. 96 Intensification of the Rebellion ....................................................................... 99

5.

6.

Mission to Northern Uganda ................................................................. 100 Journey to Gulu ............................................................................................. 100 Rebel Activities .............................................................................................. 103 District Administrator Justine Moro .............................................................. 104 Human Rights Violations .............................................................................. 106 The Situation of Displaced People ................................................................ 109 Lacor Hospital and the Cortis ....................................................................... 112 Local Peace Efforts ........................................................................................ 113 A Visit to Anaka ............................................................................................ 114 Ministers Dispatched to the North ............................................................... 117 The UPDA/M ................................................................................................ 119 The Amnesty Centre..................................................................................... 120 Ministerial Convoy Ambushed ...................................................................... 121

Peace Efforts Begin ................................................................................ 137 The Move towards Peace.............................................................................. 137 UPDA Contacts NRA.................................................................................... 139 Obote’s Death............................................................................................... 140 NRA-UPDA Talk Peace ................................................................................ 141 Peace Talks: The Second Day ....................................................................... 145 Trip to UPDA Headquarters ......................................................................... 145 Meeting the UPDA ....................................................................................... 147 Talks Continue............................................................................................... 149 The Journalist’s Task...................................................................................... 151 Responses to My Articles .............................................................................. 153 Reactions to the Talks ................................................................................... 155 Alice Lakwena’s Mother Speaks .................................................................... 155 Travel to Lugore ............................................................................................ 156 Baker’s Fort at Patiko.................................................................................... 158 A Nasty Encounter with the UPDA .............................................................. 160 Travel to Kitgum ............................................................................................ 161 Rebels Raid Lacor Hospital ............................................................................ 164

7.

8.

Contents v

Inside the Holy Spirit Movement Camp ........................................................ 165

NRA-UPDA Talks Advance ..................................................................... 167 NRA, UPDA Meet Again ............................................................................... 167 Presidential Pardon........................................................................................ 169 The UPDA Position ....................................................................................... 171 The Acholi Meet............................................................................................ 175 Responses in Gulu ........................................................................................ 177 NRA-Holy Spirit Movement Talks Begin ....................................................... 178 The Holy Spirit Movements .......................................................................... 180 NRA-HSM Peace Opening ............................................................................ 184 The Holy Spirit Movements and Superstition ............................................... 186 Salim Saleh Meets Odong Latek .................................................................... 187 The UPDA at Agung...................................................................................... 189 The Signing of a Peace Accord ...................................................................... 192 The Substance of the Pece Peace Accord ..................................................... 195 A Journey to Kitgum ..................................................................................... 196 Release of Prisoners of War ......................................................................... 197 Setbacks to the Peace Process ...................................................................... 198

War Continues ........................................................................................ 202 Impact of Counter-Insurgency ...................................................................... 205 Displacements ............................................................................................... 206 A Journalist’s Challenge ................................................................................. 209 Meeting the President ................................................................................... 212 Commanders in Gulu Transferred................................................................. 215 Mrs Betty Bigombe ....................................................................................... 218 The Food Situation in Gulu ........................................................................... 219 Rebel Ambushes ............................................................................................ 221 Rebel Raids ................................................................................................... 222 The Counter-Insurgency Continues.............................................................. 224 Gulu Women March ...................................................................................... 226 Meeting the President Again ......................................................................... 228

9. Civil War in Teso ..................................................................................... 233 Soroti............................................................................................................. 233 Mukura – Survivors’ Testimonies................................................................... 236 Government Response to the Mukura Disaster............................................ 238 Another Tragic Event..................................................................................... 241 The Peace Process in Teso ............................................................................ 242 Peace Building in Teso ................................................................................... 254 Final Thoughts ............................................................................................... 255

vi The Raging Storm

10. A Stalemate in Peace Efforts ................................................................ 257 The NRM/UPDM Peace Accord .................................................................. 257 Operation North .......................................................................................... 259 Rebels Mutilate and Maim Civilians ............................................................... 262 New Peace Initiatives .................................................................................... 264 A Second Attempt at Peace Talks ................................................................. 267 Insecurity Elsewhere in Uganda .................................................................... 269 Insecurity in Acholi ....................................................................................... 271 Life in “Protected Villages”............................................................................ 273 The Growing Humanitarian Crisis ................................................................ 276 Ambush ......................................................................................................... 279 Why Did the War Continue? ......................................................................... 282

11. The Impact of the War on Women and Children .................................. 296 Abductions .................................................................................................... 296 Reintegration ................................................................................................. 300 An Abducted Girl’s Testimony....................................................................... 303 The Story of Grace Achayo ........................................................................... 311 Children’s Other Vulnerabilities .................................................................... 313 The Impact of the War on Women: Displacement and Poverty ................... 317

12. Coping with War .................................................................................... 325 Christmas in Gulu, 1998................................................................................ 325 General Comments and Observations.......................................................... 328

13. Insecurity or Not, Life Must Continue: 1999-2001 ............................... 338 A Visit to Kitgum ........................................................................................... 338 Agoro Sub-county ......................................................................................... 345 A Visit to Rackoko ......................................................................................... 347 Gulu Town ..................................................................................................... 350 Gulu – a District in Transition ........................................................................ 351 Insecurity Again! ............................................................................................ 356 Insecurity or Not, Life Must Continue .......................................................... 363 A Transformed Security Situation .................................................................. 368

14. Coping with Insurgency: Health and Education .................................. 370 Lacor Hospital ............................................................................................... 370 Ebola! ........................................................................................................... 373 Other Hospitals............................................................................................. 380 The Impact of the War on Education ............................................................ 382 St Joseph’s College Layibi.............................................................................. 387

Contents vii

15. Attempts at Peace: 1999-2005 ............................................................... 390 The December 1999 Peace Agreement ....................................................... 390 The Amnesty Act .......................................................................................... 392 Local Peace Initiatives.................................................................................... 393 Operation Iron Fist and the Peace Process ................................................... 397

16. General Observations and Conclusions .............................................. 432 General Observations on the Peace Process ................................................ 432 General Comments on Human Rights in Northern Uganda ......................... 433 The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Courts Martial, and Human Rights ................................................................ 436 Is the Human Rights Situation in Uganda Getting Better or Worse? ............. 438 Politics of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) .................................. 440 Grassroots Democracy ................................................................................. 444 Regional Disparities ....................................................................................... 445 What are the Obstacles to Peace?................................................................. 447 Museveni: The Person and President ............................................................ 448 Concluding Remarks ..................................................................................... 452

Postscript....................................................................................................... 453 Index.............................................................................................................. 457

About the Author

Caroline Lamwaka was born in Gulu on New Year’s Day, 1963. She moved straight through every level of schooling without interruptions, from primary school in Gulu, through her O-Levels at Gulu High School, A-Levels at Makerere College School in Kampala, and then her BA in Languages at Makerere University, where she înished her course in 1985 and graduated in early 1986. She started practicing her chosen vocation as a journalist even before graduation, when she began work, îrst part-time and then full-time, at the Uganda Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. She worked for several years during the îrst decade of the war as a war correspondent for the government English language newspaper, theNew Visionafter giving. Even up full-time journalism, she continued to do war-related research and writing – both academic and NGO/policy-oriented, and both in and outside Uganda. Towards the end of February 2006, Caroline was brought from Arua to Lacor Hospital in Gulu, critically ill. She died in Lacor two weeks later, on 5 March.

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About the Editor

Ronald Atkinsontaught history for many years at the University of South Carolina in the US, where he also served as Director of USC’s African Studies Programme. He is presently a Senior Research Associate of the University’s Walker Institute of International and Area Studies and Rule of Law Collaborative. He has lived and worked in Kenya and Uganda in East Africa, Ghana in West Africa, and South Africa. For seven years during South Africa’s political transition from apartheid, he assisted in establishing and administering a programme to train Black educational leaders. He helped develop, write, and edit a multi-volume set of materials for the in-service component of the programme, as well as assisting in setting up a Master’s-level track in which he mentored and advised nearly îfty MEd dissertations. His major focus of research and writing, however, is the Acholi region and people of northern Uganda. He has writtenThe Roots of Ethnicity: The Origins of the Acholi of Uganda, which Fountain îrst published in Uganda in 1999, followed by a revised 2010 edition which includes a 60-page ‘Afterword’ on the northern Uganda war and early post-conict period, 1986-2010. He also co-authoredTraditional Ways of Coping in Acholi: Cultural Provisions for Reconciliation and Healing from War (2006), and is the author or co-author of numerous articles and book chapters on Acholi history and contemporary affairs, most recently (with Arthur Owor), ‘”Land

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