WES Arrow Boys take the lead in LRA fighting

By Richard Ruati

December 16, 2009 (YAMBIO) – One year after the joint military operation “Light Thunder Operations” launched against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and the revenge attacks on innocent civilians, the Arrow bys played a brave and crucial role by taking in charge the protection of their villages.

Understandably, it is not easy to cover the LRA atrocities, the role of security forces and the Arrow Boys in WES and its negative impact on the civilians, several times, the author was told not to talk and write about them, due to security reasons, however at some points one could risk and sacrifice to tell the truth as seen by eyes and from those who witnessed the maim.

The Arrow boys are groups of Western Equatoria young men and women who were organized right after the LRA reprisal attacks end of 2008, to serve as protection unit to the communities against the purported movement of LRA marauding rebels.

The LRA rebels have been causing havoc and horror in Western Equatoria particularly, at the villages bordering Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR); indeed the villages have been totally devastated.

Initially the self defense force was at a small scale, and it grew up in September 2009 when backlash attacks started to kill, loot, burn houses and rape the villagers. These latest horrendous attacks have affected thousands of villagers. This arrangement came as a result of the Ecumenical prayers spearheaded by the two Bishops of the Yambio ECS Diocese and the Catholic Diocese of Tambura-Yambio.

Richard Sovura and Joseph Kpuroniyo are the groups’ Coordinators.

The civil vigilante’s main role in the villages and outskirts of towns had been to take to the streets with a gun or machete and possibly lynching notorious rebels.

Traditional weapons like arrows boys have been the AK-47 of the local worriers.

In a period where other men are keen to put their feet up and enjoy the peace which signed in 2005 between the Khartoum government and the former rebel movement in Southern Sudan, Angelo Mbikoyo is a vigilante, prepared to dispense what he calls “organized campaign to destroy his villages and drive away its inhabitants.”

“Imagine myself, at 26 I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in the alert to defend my village,” he says.

“But if I don’t do it, and Tong-tong (local name for LRA rebels) comes here, my family and I will be maimed.”

Every night, he and many other young men strap their ancient fabricated guns to their backs and walk through their villages ushering confidence in the villagers that there is protection in around the villages.

This “informal policing” takes place in towns and villages across Western Equatoria. The vigilantes are the only ones that stand between LRA bandits and residents.

And if they get caught, a rebel can expect to be killed before the SPLA or Ugandan Army arrives.

The State Government says the presence of vigilante groups is “welcome”. Though elements from the SPLA have been cautious of the Arrows, fearing that, the guns or arrows might be turned against one day.

“They pre-date the security, and they compliment [our] efforts.”

The Army can’t get into every nook and cranny,” said Jemma Nunu Kumba, Governor of WES, during a speech she made 9th of January 2009. She is a strong backer of the vigilantes, as she has been seen donating monies to the group publicly, of recently she urged the state assembly to support her move to deduct 1 day salary from every government employee of WES, the move materialized in November 2009.

At many LRA attacks the Army tries to send soldiers out on patrol with as many vigilante groups as possible, but with few SPLA soldiers deployed in the region, lack of logistical support and welfare to an army which is emerging a long civil war this is difficult.

Until one year ago, the infamous LRA rebels enjoyed safe passage after looting, abducting and burning the streets of the villages. However, with the presence of Arrow boys, the LRA had had difficult making their way with villages at a large scale.

Following the attack on the rebels assembled point at Garamba Park, the rebels were splinted to many parts of South Sudan, DRC and CAR, and others have surrendered to Ugandan Army since then.

Media reports have confirmed US Government military aid to the Ugandan Army and SPLA to fight the LRA rebels, however Arrow Boys privately complain also of “why they have not been extended that help since they equal fight the rebels and defend the defenseless.”

“If you catch a rebel you are expected to take him to the SPLA or UPDF, but we can give him jungle justice if he is armed,” says Mr. Agima, himself a former child soldier in southern Sudan.

“If he is armed, if he wants to kill us, we don’t feel sorry for him,” he says.

The groups Coordinator appeals to the government to give vigilante groups machine guns.

“You cannot pursue the armed and well-equipped rebels with an empty hand, or with a knife you cannot attack the LRA with an arrow.”

FEW SOLDIERS

The problem is that the soldiers don’t patrol many villages during the night.

“There is no-one who can protect us, they come and rob us and rape and abduct our children,” said Tartizio Banzimi, 61, a community chief who is also a vigilante group member.

“We aren’t paid for this, it’s a voluntary thing.”

“Allied forces only come after the deadly LRA scenes; during live killings by LRA rebels you can hardly see a soldier confronting LRA rebels.”

The Catholic Bishop in the region in the past during the first ecumenical prayer held in Yambio blamed the government of keeping themselves the soldiers and guns at night.

Arrow Boys (AB) groups are a well established in all the communities in the ten counties of Western Equatoria.
People trust them more than they trust any other security organ

Since then the Allied forces have been working with vigilante groups trying to educate them about the law and prevent them from lynching suspects.

Despite calls from GOSS, State Legislators and the Inter

Church Committee in WES on GOSS to provide the groups with training and some equipment, like, machine guns, ammunitions boots and rain coats.

The initial arrangement was that, the registration of the vigilante groups and asks them to sign up to hand back the guns, should the LRA rebels wiped out.

“The mobilization of the public to compliment the efforts of the efforts of the security forces has yielded secure environment in some parts of WES,” says John Mbiko, an IDP staying now 15 miles away from his village.

In the future he hopes they will have a different role, providing local intelligence for a more effective police force.

Mr Mbiko says that in Western Equatoria people must be self-reliant.

“If you can’t protect yourself, you are finished,” he says.

“They are in the bush running away from this LRA violence that flared to the villages, Lord’s Resistance Army. They do not know next when they will be able to go back to their farms,” said Charles Mboriyo.

IS THE END NEAR FOR THE LRA?

The hounds seem to be closing in on Joseph Kony and his horde of dreadlocked young rebels, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has created havoc in Central Africa for over twenty years. Will the dreaded captor soon become a helpless captive?

After driving them out of Uganda and chasing them across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ugandan government troops are now fighting the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army in Central African Republic

The Armies of Uganda, DRC and South Sudan launched attacks against Joseph Kony one year ago, with the aim of destroying and preventing more attacks by LRA rebels. Since then Kony is still on the run, with few of his senior commanders killed and surrenders.

Ugandan Army reiterates that, the only option left for Kony is to sign the Juba truce, or Kony will be killed or captured alive. Virtually, inner circles of UPDF need the head of Kony in the Silver Plate.

(ST)