Wednesday, June 24, 1981, remains a dark moment in the history of the people of West Nile, who faced the wrath of revenge attacks. The attack occurred during lunchtime while many people were still in their gardens. At the time, insecurity after the fall of President Idi Amin had already created widespread fear and uncertainty. By 1981, word circulated that guerilla fighters had camped at Ombaci College in Arua District and were planning to attack government soldiers. In a pre-emptive move, the army ransacked the college and killed about 200 people.
Both locals and some soldiers who were killed were buried in a mass grave within the Ombaci mission grounds, just outside St Joseph’s College Ombaci. Many victims were killed in Dorm D, which later came to be known as the ‘Dormitory of Death.’ The killings also carried political undertones. Since then, survivors and families of those killed during the massacre have been seeking compensation and justice, but to no avail. Some survivors have since died without receiving any support. Now, however, there is a sigh of relief. For the first time, President Museveni has directed the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, and the Attorney General to coordinate activities for both the Kony war and the Ombaci massacre victims to ensure they are paid ex-gratia.
In a letter dated October 27, addressed to the Prime Minister, the President says many victims who lost businesses, vehicles, and property have never received government compensation. ‘Although it is not logical for the government to take responsibility for actions that happen during wars or any insurgency, they can be considered for ex-gratia payment. The said payment will supplement other government efforts geared towards household incomes,’ the letter reads in part.
It continues: ‘In view of the above, I, therefore, direct that you coordinate the relevant government ministries such as the Attorney General’s Office, Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to verify the claimants and make an ex-gratia payment.’
Following the directive, the lawyer for the Kony War Victims Association, Mr Samuel Ondoma of Alaka and Company Advocates, welcomed the move. ‘We are grateful that after almost 20 years, people are beginning to sense that this money is finally coming, and it is badly needed, as the President says. This money will supplement government efforts to improve household income because these were businessmen and women whose goods and money were looted,’ Mr Ondoma says. He adds that what the victims need now is a minimal income base to restore their lives.
The victims are those who suffered during the LRA insurgency in Uganda, mostly traders and transporters who lost property and money along the Karuma-Pakwach highway when rebels attacked them between the 1990s and 2005. They number over 1,000 and have been demanding more than Shs99b. Actual compensation is yet to be implemented. In a related development, the President also directed the Prime Minister to coordinate relevant offices to ensure victims of the 1981 Ombaci, Muni, and Ringili massacres are also paid ex-gratia. The Ayivu East Member of Parliament, Mr Geoffrey Feta, who is copied in the President’s letter, says the responsibility now lies with the Prime Minister to summon a meeting for the affected persons. He advises victims to get organised ahead of her intervention.
During the 2006 campaigns, former Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party presidential flag bearer Miria Kalule Obote sought to clarify government allegations that UPC was responsible for the Ombaci massacre. Flanked by UPC’s Mr Chris Opoka Okumu, she accused Museveni’s Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) troops of opening fire on civilians who had taken refuge in a building at Ombaci College. She argued that Museveni must be held accountable, as he held a top position in the Military Commission at the time.
In an earlier interview, a Uganda Red Cross volunteer, Mr Richard Ferua, explained that the conflict escalated on October 7, 1980, when the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) high command ordered its troops in West Nile to make a ‘premeditated withdrawal’ from the region. ‘We managed to bury 260 people in mass graves. This was basically a war of revenge between the former Uganda National Army of Amin and the UNLA of Milton Obote. The war was driven mainly by revenge after the disputed 1980 elections,’ Mr Ferua says.
Background
The crisis began on October 7, 1980, when UNLF troops withdrew from West Nile due to fears of an invasion by the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) and remnants of the former Uganda Army based in Sudan. This withdrawal created a security vacuum that sparked conflict in which dozens of students were massacred, and hundreds of residents took refuge at Ombaci College under the protection of Italian headmaster Fr Mich Lino Marco (RIP).
After the fall of Idi Amin in 1979, himself a native of the region, Ombaci became the scene of a bloody massacre. Meanwhile, during the Kony War, several traders and passengers were killed in brutal ambushes on Karuma Road, especially in the Murchison Falls National Park. LRA rebels burned many buses and private cars, and numerous passengers were abducted, some never to be seen again.