The Rising Sun and Guns
I am not quite sure where to begin. I had an overwhelmingly eventful week in Gulu, Kitgum and Pader – it was simply coincidental that I was traveling while so much was going on. It was an amazing week for me, especially as I finally set foot in the other districts of Acholiland for the first time. I met with many interesting people who deserve a blog entry alone, but in brief:
Sam Kolo, one of the few remaining LRA commanders and the key point of LRA contact for the mediation process, came out of the bush. There were rumors flying about how this all came about – some claimed there was a dispute between Kolo and hardliner Vincent Otti (another commander) about coming out of the bush when a shootout transpired between the two. This was not the case, but it was Otti’s group who ambushed an MSF (Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders) vehicle on the Gulu-Kitgum road, looted cell phones and other goods, and made a run for the bush. The UPDF followed in hot pursuit, allegedly wounding Otti. This all has enormous implications for the peace process. As Kolo is out of the bush, it is unclear how or if the mediation process initiated by Betty Bigombe can continue. On Thursday night I sat briefly with Bigombe, the UPDF army commander and my boss Stig when Kolo came and joined us at the table. It was simply bizarre to be looking such a man in the face. For the first time in 19 years, Kolo is sleeping under a roof, in a bed, and eating real meals. Before I came to Uganda, and relying on secondhand reports and information, I always imagined the LRA soldiers (or at least the leadership) to be narrow-minded fanatics without souls or objective. I think to comprehend the brutality of the LRA, and specifically how they target and torture children, we have to dehumanize them. Somehow, and against my will, I recognize that these soldiers are somehow humans, but I still think Joseph Kony is in a category of his own.
I traveled with my colleagues Denis and Stig from Gulu to Kitgum via tiny airplane. Something has happened to me with age and I find I cannot stomach heights, especially with turbulence. We flew low over the land, so I was able to get great views above IDP camps, villages and the terrain, but my stomach was largely in my throat. And there is something about landing on a patch of dirt…
I was awakened early in the morning on Thursday to the sounds of gunshots and grenades outside my hotel window in Kitgum. Last I heard, it was a shoot out between the UPDF and LRA. Other LRA soldiers came out of the bush on Thursday and reported to the UPDF in Kitgum – these rebels indicated that there were quite a number of LRA (remember, these are basically children) remaining just over the border in Sudan who want to return but they are literally starving to death. The LRA usually relied on attacking the Southern People’s Liberation Army’s food supplies in Sudan, but now they are too weak. We also got word that a former LRA combatant who had returned home felt that he was not well received and set the home of his relatives ablaze. This is a clear demonstration that the Acholi willingness to forgive has been overstated and that the greatest challenge to peace will be the reintegration of the formally abducted children and combatants back into their communities. Districts affected by the war outside of Acholiland (Teso, Apac, Lira) have had greater success in the reintegration of former abductees; however Gulu, Kitgum, and Pader have been the central fighting grounds for the LRA over nearly two decades. Many of the abductees are held in captivity for longer than those in other areas.
We traveled by road with 10 UPDF soldiers (not by choice but for security) from Kitgum to Pader for a meeting with the district peace team. The government has trouble feeding their troops, so these men were eager to earn their free meal (the reward for the day trip to escort us). Pader became a district in 2000 and the people maintain a tremendous pride. Pader has also been the most neglected with regard to responding to the conflict, so the good people have had to learn to cope without the help of others. A tire on our truck blew out en route from Pader to Kitgum, and of course we were in a rush to catch our flight back to Gulu. I was eager to find out how many UPDF soldiers it takes to change a tire, but luckily an acquaintance just happened to be driving by and he gave us a lift to the airstrip.
It is so incredibly hot in Uganda right now and even worse in the north. We are still in the midst of the dry season, but the rains are supposed to come in March. With power outages in Gulu and Kitgum (Pader does not have electricity at all), I couldn’t even make use of the lovely fans in the hotel. I required a minimum of two showers a day to de-dust myself and slept drenched in my own sweat. But this trip has rejuvenated my spirits (perhaps it was the diet of posho, beans, and roasted chicken) and I am ready to pull out of the comforts of Kampala to concentrate more of my time back up north.
Sam Kolo, one of the few remaining LRA commanders and the key point of LRA contact for the mediation process, came out of the bush. There were rumors flying about how this all came about – some claimed there was a dispute between Kolo and hardliner Vincent Otti (another commander) about coming out of the bush when a shootout transpired between the two. This was not the case, but it was Otti’s group who ambushed an MSF (Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders) vehicle on the Gulu-Kitgum road, looted cell phones and other goods, and made a run for the bush. The UPDF followed in hot pursuit, allegedly wounding Otti. This all has enormous implications for the peace process. As Kolo is out of the bush, it is unclear how or if the mediation process initiated by Betty Bigombe can continue. On Thursday night I sat briefly with Bigombe, the UPDF army commander and my boss Stig when Kolo came and joined us at the table. It was simply bizarre to be looking such a man in the face. For the first time in 19 years, Kolo is sleeping under a roof, in a bed, and eating real meals. Before I came to Uganda, and relying on secondhand reports and information, I always imagined the LRA soldiers (or at least the leadership) to be narrow-minded fanatics without souls or objective. I think to comprehend the brutality of the LRA, and specifically how they target and torture children, we have to dehumanize them. Somehow, and against my will, I recognize that these soldiers are somehow humans, but I still think Joseph Kony is in a category of his own.
I traveled with my colleagues Denis and Stig from Gulu to Kitgum via tiny airplane. Something has happened to me with age and I find I cannot stomach heights, especially with turbulence. We flew low over the land, so I was able to get great views above IDP camps, villages and the terrain, but my stomach was largely in my throat. And there is something about landing on a patch of dirt…
I was awakened early in the morning on Thursday to the sounds of gunshots and grenades outside my hotel window in Kitgum. Last I heard, it was a shoot out between the UPDF and LRA. Other LRA soldiers came out of the bush on Thursday and reported to the UPDF in Kitgum – these rebels indicated that there were quite a number of LRA (remember, these are basically children) remaining just over the border in Sudan who want to return but they are literally starving to death. The LRA usually relied on attacking the Southern People’s Liberation Army’s food supplies in Sudan, but now they are too weak. We also got word that a former LRA combatant who had returned home felt that he was not well received and set the home of his relatives ablaze. This is a clear demonstration that the Acholi willingness to forgive has been overstated and that the greatest challenge to peace will be the reintegration of the formally abducted children and combatants back into their communities. Districts affected by the war outside of Acholiland (Teso, Apac, Lira) have had greater success in the reintegration of former abductees; however Gulu, Kitgum, and Pader have been the central fighting grounds for the LRA over nearly two decades. Many of the abductees are held in captivity for longer than those in other areas.
We traveled by road with 10 UPDF soldiers (not by choice but for security) from Kitgum to Pader for a meeting with the district peace team. The government has trouble feeding their troops, so these men were eager to earn their free meal (the reward for the day trip to escort us). Pader became a district in 2000 and the people maintain a tremendous pride. Pader has also been the most neglected with regard to responding to the conflict, so the good people have had to learn to cope without the help of others. A tire on our truck blew out en route from Pader to Kitgum, and of course we were in a rush to catch our flight back to Gulu. I was eager to find out how many UPDF soldiers it takes to change a tire, but luckily an acquaintance just happened to be driving by and he gave us a lift to the airstrip.
It is so incredibly hot in Uganda right now and even worse in the north. We are still in the midst of the dry season, but the rains are supposed to come in March. With power outages in Gulu and Kitgum (Pader does not have electricity at all), I couldn’t even make use of the lovely fans in the hotel. I required a minimum of two showers a day to de-dust myself and slept drenched in my own sweat. But this trip has rejuvenated my spirits (perhaps it was the diet of posho, beans, and roasted chicken) and I am ready to pull out of the comforts of Kampala to concentrate more of my time back up north.
posted by Africa Anonymous @ 9:43 AM
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