National
UGANDA: STREET KIDS, THE FORCE REBOOTING THE LRA MEMORY IN NORTHERN UGANDA.
In Northern Uganda, thousands of people are recovering from the trauma of the over decades of armed conflicts which saw thousands murdered, several enslaved and many other atrocities.
Okumu Langol Reports for Oyengyeng;
The guerilla warfare was manned by, Joseph Kony of the Lord`s Resistance Army (LRA) and his top commanders Dominic Ongwen of the Sinia Brigade among Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya and Okot Odhiambo.
The force alleged to have invested massively in killing innocent communities, sexual slavery, recruiting child soldiers from Northern Uganda, and parts of Lango and Teso Regions.
The dust slowly settled after government through several bodies and individuals including Riek Machar of Sudan engaged the government of Uganda and the LRA for a peace talk dubbed Juba Peace talk.
Slowly, the dust settled, guns went silent, the community encamped in satellite camps of the internally displaced persons retuned home and normalcy befell the aggrieved community again.
In Gulu, Lamwo and parts of Agago districts there are new waves of insurgencies, tensions and unrest from a non but formal group of gangsters termed “Aguu“, in the Acholi dialect but street kids in English. This group comprises of youths who are unemployed but yearning to make livings.
In July the media was swarming with information of a suspected rebel group called “B13“ as disclosed by the Gulu Resident District Commissioner, Major Santos Okot Lapolo during an interview with a national television.
The mention of a rebel group raised dust among the people who expressed fear meanwhile a section of security officers hurriedly rubbished the allegation but confirmed the existence of that one organized gangs of criminals terrorizing Northern Region.
The group are reportedly on rampage in Bungatira Sub County in Gulu district waylaying people, raping women, looting, erecting illegal road blocks and looting from people. A similar happening like those days of the LRA rebel group.
The Bungatira Sub County Councilor, Amos Lakidi says people in his constituency are in great fear and very scared of their dear lives and the safety of their properties.
However Patrick Jimmy Okema, the police spokesperson for Aswa river region which constitutes Northern Uganda says security acted swiftly and arrested several of the suspects that have now been arraigned before court.
Early this year, Tom Oree the Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Gulu moved that all street kids (Aguu) should be registered for easy monitoring to restore sanity in the region.
A nasty picture and scene of the street kids is remembered for the 20th June 2019 attack on the area local authorities of Industrial area in Layibi division in Gulu Municipality which is at the Centre of Gulu Town and on close watch of armed security personnel.
The rowdy youths armed with weapons clubs, machete, boulders attacked the authorities barely at early evening hours and destroyed several office items, vandalized properties along the road until heavily armed security intervened at the scene and wrestled with them for hours.
In the recent years in Gulu, several journalists were preys to the goons, to date the gruesome murder of former Gulu deputy town clerk John Oola is undoubtedly linked to actions of the goons several other cases are reported to police daily.
Insecurity is still toiling Northern Uganda which heavily witnessed years of wars, conflicts however government has for times paid deaf ears to the loud cries of the vulnerable people who are not armed to reiterate their offenders.
In a country like Uganda the community of Northern Uganda says they are one sect that no longer fear gun shots and bomb blasts. For one will want to go and witness by self the gun which fired what bullet.
The question of recovery for Northern Uganda and accountability of what happened lingers the minds of the majority.
