On May 20, 2004, about 80 Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels raided an internally displaced people’s camp in Lukodi Village, Bungatira Sub-county in Gulu District. More than 90 locals were killed, while another 300 were taken captive in the attack that was ordered by Dominic Ongwen, then commander of the notorious Sinia Brigade. Ongwen is currently serving a 25-year jail term in a Norwegian prison for his role in the attack, among other crimes.
Twenty-one years later, survivors are still struggling with the effects of the attack. Emotions ran high on Monday last week as they narrated the painful event during a memorial held to remember the victims. Ms Maureen Aciro, 76, a resident of Lukodi Village, Bungatira Sub-county in Gulu District, said there was no hint that the attack was imminent.
‘On the fateful evening when the rebels attacked, we were preparing to go to sleep. There were people in my compound, too. These were families who stayed further away from the IDP camp. My home was within the IDP. We started hearing gunfire and people started running to escape,’ Ms Aciro narrated.
Aciro, who was one of five survivors who attended the event (Nipoo) organised by the Foundation for Justice and Development Initiative (FJDI) and Caritas, said it was by God’s grace that she is alive. ‘I lost eight members of my family on the fateful evening. My mother, brothers, sisters, niece, nephews, and aunties were living with me. All were killed that evening. The majority were locked in the house and burnt to death. It has not been easy,’ she said.
‘In total, I lost 38 people who are close to me. Some were my in-laws. The rebels nearly wiped out our family. Every Memorial Day, my heart sinks because I start thinking about those who were close to me and are no more. Those who were killed by the rebels,’ she adds. Ms Aciro said after the attack, her husband developed depression, which progressed into a mental illness, which led to his death. Mr Charles Oryema, 76, said the attack is still fresh in his mind. Mr Oryema said on the fateful evening, he was enjoying a local brew with his friend when his compound suddenly became a battlefield.
‘The rebels struck at around 6pm. They came in three formations from the eastern side of the IDP camp. I was drinking local brew (wiri) when I suddenly heard a whistle and intense gunfire. The army detachment was just a stone’s throw away from my house,’ he narrated. Mr Oryema, who narrowly escaped with his life, said the attack was well planned. ‘Before the actual attack happened, two middle-aged men came to the IDP camp claiming that they had defected from the rebels. They were welcomed. Even some families served them food. But they disappeared all of a sudden. We believe that they were intelligence officers who came to spy on the government forces,’ he said.
Mr Wilfred Lalobo, the chairperson of Lukodi Massacre Survivors’ Association, said Lukodi Village has never been the same since the attack. ‘Between 1985 and 1986, Lukodi Village was a very peaceful place. Food and animals were plentiful. We had resources and were able to take our children to school, too. There was no land dispute in the area,’ he said. Mr Lalobo said the attack turned their lives upside down, adding that future generations will continue to feel the impact of the bloody attack on unarmed civilians.
‘The rebels attacked from the east at around 6:30pm. Unfortunately, the army personnel deployed to guard the IDP camp were ill-trained for such an attack. They were members of the Local Defence Unit. They could not match the firepower of the rebels. They fled in disarray because they could not match the firepower of the insurgents,’ he said.
Mr Lalobo said one of the most traumatising moments was seeing dead bodies strewn around the school playgrounds the following morning. He added that the rebels forced women to throw their babies into burning houses. ‘The rebels also forced mothers to throw their babies away and forced them to carry their loot. The following day, which was May 20, 2004, we returned from our hideouts and found many dead bodies lying everywhere,’ he said. Meanwhile, the fate of more than 56 children and adults who were abducted during the attack is unknown.
Ms Sarah Nkayimbi, the programmes manager at FJDI, said encouraging war survivors to share their stories is an important part of healing. She explained that survivors cannot fully move forward if their stories remain unheard. Ms Nkayimbi added that it is also important to help war victims understand that they are not alone in what they went through. ‘A lot happened during the LRA war in northern Uganda. We lost a lot of property and lives. There were abductions, sexual abuse and those who survived still suffer in one way or another. They are struggling with trauma, psychological torture,’ she said.