In October 2004, the UPDF received information that people were moving freely in Anaka and that the people had developed an understanding with local LRA commanders. It was based upon this information that the UPDF led by Col. Otema Awany launched an attack on the area on 26 October 2004.
The UPDF "operation" began at about 6pm and as the UPDF called it, "it was meant to crack down on rebel collaborators". The UPDF then swooped upon 35 local people, most of them young men. They were taken to the local UPDF base where the beatings and torture began and went on right through the night. The UPDF carried "mock executions" - saying they would kill all the civilians as they were LRA collaborators. The civilians were kept in the UPDF base for 2 weeks where daily torture was the order of the day. All these, for the reason that the UPDF were trying to "gleen" from the civilians whatever information they might have a bout the LRA. The other purpose for the attack was meant to send a clear and unequivocal message to the local population that "if you talk to the LRA, this is what would happen to you". After 2 weeks with the UPDF, the civilians were released. They were all in a very bad shape and needed most urgent medical attention. It is unclear what became of the ones who were left in a critical condition (whether some of them might have died as a result of their injuries).
UPDF torture, rape civilians at Agoro Dam...
On 28 August 2004, a man and his wife who were found digging in their garden at a place called "Agoro dam" some 2 kilometres away from Palabek Kal were set upon by a contingent of UPDF soldiers. The UPDF accused the man of having the appearance (resemblance) of the LRA commander called Kapere. The man's name was Okwera. The UPDF then demanded that he should confess that he is infact Kapere's brother and that he had gone to Agoro dam to meet him.
The UPDF stripped the man naked whilst he was being beaten in front of his 7 months pregnant wife. When Mr Okwera insisted he had never heard of Kapere, the beating intensified. The UPDF then turned to another tactic. They started piercing Mr Okwera's testicles with thorns so that he could (in their logic) "speak up". Mr Okwera bled profusely. Mrs Okwera was then led away where she was raped by other UPDF soldiers. When they brought her back, the UPDF para
ded her
naked in front of her husband to show what they had done. The UPDF then demanded that Mr. Okwera should sleep with his wife in front of them. Mr. Okwera's testicles were so swollen, he asked the UPDF simply to kill him.
After the rape, torture and humiliation, the UPDF set the civilians free. When the Okwera's reached home, Mr Okwera's brothers had to rescue him as he attempted suicide. He was later taken to Kitgum hospital where he remained for most of September.
UPDF child soldiers....
In the 8th issue we reported on how most of the children fighting alongside the UPDF were infact people who out of bad luck ended up in the hands of the UPDF. The story goes that whenever the LRA come looking for food, they also take with them people to carry the loot. The civilians are always released. It is these civilians, plus those who run away from the LRA, that when they come across the UPDF, that the girls have been known to be taken up by UPDF sold
iers as
sex slaves and any male members press ganged into joining the UPDF.
In November 2004 we talked to one such child soldier serving within the UPDF. He said he was forced into joining the UPDF after the UPDF found him outside of the camp. He said he was tortured very badly as the UPDF accused him of being a member of the LRA. The UPDF told him that there was something called the ICC and that the ICC had come to take people like him to Europe where they would be held in prison. The UPDF told him that the only salvation for him was for him to join the UPDF. He was therefore given one week�s military training before he was deployed.
For the record, the UPDF child soldier we spoke to was aged 14 and was stationed at Palukere detach in Gulu district.
In a separate development, a local NGO called Uganda Refugee Law Project has protested the recruitment of former rebels (which in Northern Uganda is any civilian found outside of the concentration camp) into the Uga
nda
army. The Group's director, said it was against international convention to use prisoners of war (including child soldiers) against people they were running away from. He said, people caught up in the Northern war, need rehabilitation and not recruitment into the UPDF, which undermines efforts for peace.
UPDF kills 5 in Paluga
On the 20 October 2004 a number of civilians set off from Paluga camp (where they had been dumped by the UPDF) to Padibe camp. The civilians had received information that the Word Food Programme had delivered food to Padibe and they were going to see if people at Padibe could share with them whatever they had received. It was whilst the civilians were on their way back that they entered a UPDF ambush. The group met with a hail of bullets from government troops.
The UPDF later explained that its soldiers had ordered the party to stop, but that the civilians did not heed their warning. It claimed that it is usually civ
ilians
who don't stopped when ordered to, who take information about the UPDF's position to the LRA. The UPDF alleged that the civilians were providing the LRA with logistical support and therefore had to be treated the same way as the LRA. For the people of Paluga though, who had to go and collect the bodies of their loved ones, this was just another incident of UPDF killings amongst many. Two of the 5 people killed were later identified as Mr Odera and Mr Lakem.
UPDF gang rapes Lukung
On 17 October 2004 the UPDF gang raped a group of 10 women from Lukung camp whom they (the UPDF) found working on their farm. The women had left Lukung camp to go and harvest simsim. The UPDF mobile force found the women at a place called Ngom Lac and took them to what used to be the local primary school and it was there that most of the attack took place.
According to one of the victims by the name of Filda Acan, it was UPDF troops numbering at least 50 that arres
ted them
and took them to the "primary school". At the time of the arrest the UPDF demanded to see their movement order, but in Lukung for more than a month now, nobody ever sought a movement order to leave the camp. When they explained to the UPDF that none of them possessed the requested document, they were each assigned to small groups of UPDF soldiers (in some cases numbering up to 10 for further interrogation). According to Acan, as they moved towards the "primary school" the UPDF soldiers who were guarding her, grabbed her and she was raped repeatedly by all of them. As this was happening to her, the UPDF were shepherding the rest of her colleagues towards the primary school. For her colleagues, the rape took place in the compound of the primary school in the presence of dozens other UPDF soldiers stationed there.
At the "primary school" the attack was carried out in front of other UPDF troops. Acan was released by the group holding her, but the overall commander of the
troops
intervened and ordered that she should stay until the UPDF had finished with the rest of her colleagues.
At about 6.30pm they were set free to go. One of the civilians by the name of Helen Adyero complained of severe pains in her lower abdomen. She was 4 months pregnant and she could not walk back to the camp (she had to be carried). Adyero later that night had a miscarriage. The whole incident was reported to the camp leader who took it to the UPDF. The UPDF officials at Lukung denied that any of their soldiers carried out the attack. Instead they said it was the LRA. When pressed further, the UPDF later admitted but said it would be impossible to identify which particular unit of their mobile force carried out the attack as there were so many of them. That also marked the end of the case.
Amnesty International implicates UPDF in torture, mass rape...
In our third issue we brought you the story of the UN report which implicated the UPDF in
the
abduction of children, some of the children as young as 11 who were then forced to fight alongside the UPDF. In another report by an international body, in October 2004, Amnesty International implicated the UPDF for having perpetrated mass rape and sodomy as weapons of war. The report noted that in the current conflict in the DRC, in which the UPDF is an active and principal player, thousands of children (especially) girls have been victims of systematic rape and sexual assault.
The report noted that women and girls have been attacked in their homes and as they go about their daily business. Many have been raped more than once or have suffered gang rape. Women and girls have been taken as sex slaves with the UPDF playing an active part in such atrocities. Just like in Northern Uganda where the UPDF long acquired the name of "Lagungu-gungu" rape of young boys have also taken place. The report described how rape have often been preceded by deliberate wounding and
sexual
torture of victims. Rapes have been committed in the presence of family members including children.
Some women have been raped in the company of family members. In one example, Amnesty International noted that soldiers of the UPDF abducted 10 Congolese girls as they went collecting water from a spring near Bunia. The Girls pleaded to be released but were taken to a military camp where they were kept forcibly as wives of soldiers of the UPDF. A 17-year-old girl, called Yvonne was held for 4 months before escaping with another girl. She now has a one-year-old girl whom she says was born out of the rapes she suffered in the UPDF camp.
For the people of Northern Uganda, what Amnesty International is reporting is what they have had to endure for the last 18 years at the hands of the UPDF.
UPDF shoots 7 at Palabek....
On the 19 October 2004, soldiers of the UPDF shot 7 women at Palabek Gem as they were working their farm. It is now an acce
pted
fact that whenever the UPDF comes across any civilian carrying out farming activity in the North, the UPDF would kill them. This for the simple reason that, the UPDF believes the best way it can defeat the LRA is by ensuring that there is no foodstuff in the North (with the only source being food supplied by the World Food Program). This is also one of the main reasons why the UPDF have forcibly removed people from their own homes into concentration camps.
It therefore happened that as the women harvested sorghum from their farm (which was less than 200 meters from the camp) a contingent of UPDF soldiers without warning opened fire on them. Some of the victims were later identified as "Min" Sida who was killed instantly, Roselyn Akello, Vicky Lakot and Josephine Aweko.
When the whole incident was reported to the UPDF officials in the district, they denied responsibility. However the office of the RDC (civilian arm of the UPDF government) delivered maize meal an
d bags
of beans to the relatives where the funerals were being held (implying it accepted responsibility).
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