Ugandan Atrocities
The reports of violence in North Eastern Uganda are getting steadily worse. Our brothers and their families in the area are safe but have had to flee their homes, leaving crops and animals. They are presently living in rented accommodation in Lira and cared for by charities and the World Food Programme (WFP). Paul Boyd and Kevin Rawlings met them during their recent trip and we have been able to send money to them to help them rent land so that they can try and grow crops for the future. Returning to their homes is impossible as fellow villagers have been ambushed and killed during their unsuccessful attempts. Dawn brothers and sisters in the same area have also been displaced and they are staying in a nearby town called Dokolo. All brothers and sisters and fellow villagers need our prayers.
We have been monitoring the Uganda news media and noted that the situation is worsening by the day. We had cancelled the proposed trip by Paul and Kevin recently and instead the brothers travelled to meet them. The brothers are obviously scared but their faith remains strong and they see the events as a sign of the times. Paul writes: ?The three brothers did meet us late one day, having been delayed by security forces. They arrived tired and worn out, with stories of horrific acts by the rebels. When they said goodbye to their families that morning they did not know if they would see them again. We let them talk, then took them out for a meal. Once fed we were able to talk about their needs and spiritual matters. We were able to meet all their needs... They were very grateful for all the help received. They may need more in January, since we only paid for their accommodation and daily needs until the end of the year. We asked them to make it last as long as possible.?
The following is some news from the Uganda media and is also reproduced on John and Sally Palmer?s Mail Africa ISP site. It sums up the horrible situation:
?Ugandan guerrillas kill 60 in village rampage IOL, 8:00GMT 10 Nov 2003 Rebels shot and hacked to death scores of civilians in northern Uganda this week, beheading some of them, in apparent revenge for the killing of a rebel commander, the army announced on Saturday. The Vatican missionary news service said rebels of the Lord?s Resistance Army (LRA) killed about 60 people on a rampage through Lira district, forcing some villagers to watch as they beheaded fellow villagers they had just killed. Local priests reported villagers as saying rebels had set fire to many huts with the inhabitants still inside but this could not be confirmed.
Scores of civilians were killed at around midnight on November 6 in Alanyi and Awayopiny villages in Lira district, Lieutenant Chris Magezi, a spokesperson for the armies Third Division, said. Scores of civilians were killed at around midnight He had suggested the toll might exceed 100 but later said there was no confirmation the toll would be that high. Thousands of terrified civilians were fleeing a number of villages and seeking shelter in and around Lira town, the main settlement in the district of the same name.
The guerrillas, led by self-proclaimed prophet Joseph Kony, are feared for their brutality and for abducting thousands of children for use as sex slaves and front-line fighters in the east African country?s 17-year-old civil war. They are cutting off people?s heads. Every time we hear of an incident, it?s a new level of brutality, said Father John Fraser, who helps run the Catholic church-owned radio station in Lira. People have been pouring into town for the last three days, he said, estimating the influx at between 2000 and 3000 people a day. Magezi said Kony appeared to have ordered the raid to avenge the army?s October 29 killing of LRA No 2 Charles Tabuley, a move widely seen as likely to weaken rebel operations.
The army blames Tabuley for several massacres of civilians in northern and eastern Uganda over the past 16 months. The government deployed 14,000 troops backed by helicopter gunships and tanks against the rebels last year, but LRA attacks have since intensified and pushed further south towards Kampala.
In Rome, the Vatican?s missionary news agency Misna quoted unnamed missionary sources as saying about 60 people had been killed in the attacks. They said more than 30 civilians were killed in Awayopiny and Alanyi, 20 people were killed in Omarari village and nine were killed in North Omoro village.
The LRA says it wants to topple the government of President Yoweri Museveni but it has never spelt out its demands publicly. Sudan and Uganda in October renewed a pact to co-operate in removing rebels from southern Sudan. The deal allowing Ugandan troops to pursue the LRA in southern Sudan expired in September.
Uganda accused Sudan in September of resuming the support it once gave to the rebels. Khartoum denied the accusations and said it would deal seriously with rogue military officers it suspected were collaborating with the LRA.?
The horrific accounts on TV recently about the LRA confirm the situation. The really sad thing is that the leader of the rebels, Joseph Kony, claims that he is doing all these things in the name of God, as he has the Holy Spirit. Please pray that God will protect our brothers and sisters and that he will also stop the violence and stop people from defaming God.
We have today 2nd December 2003, had a letter from our brothers in Dokolo, Uganda. They thank us for help and prayers. They are only eating twice a day to save money. There are now 400,000 displaced people in Lira municipality and in the camps. People are dying because food is not plentiful. Some people have gone back to the villages to get food and have been killed by the rebels. On 18 Nov rebels ?entered Lira Municipality in 2 groups and killed 47 people and abducted many.? Local politicians, church people and UN are trying to stop the fighting and put pressure on the Ugandan government to do something. There has been 2 acres of land given over to the burial of those displaced people that have been killed or died. ?Rich people are running to Kampala and Buganda region, others to Masindi district to escape.? The brothers write: ?For us we are living in Lira Town and shall not run anywhere. Our main works is to read the Bible and pray for Jesus? return to be very soon so that we get everlasting comfort and peace.?
Transport is ?very risky? unless escorted by military trucks. They ask us to keep monitoring the situation and to pray for them. They also say: ?.. continue to be concern to us even if it is giving you a very big burden. We are faithful and enduring because it was predicted and very Biblical for the sign of Jesus? return (Mt 24:1-51). Reaching us is very difficult. We are living in a place like the island of Patmos which need a flight from Kampala to Lira by plane and is the only means foreigners use to go to Lira town.? They will try, God willing, to meet us at the Bible School in April 2004, but they fear for what may happen next week. They send greetings.
Bro. John & Sis. Sue Mathias
