Ugandan rebels continue to terrorize Sudan’s W. Equatoria
By Richard Ruati
January 13, 2008 (YAMBIO) – The Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels continued to terrorize Western Equatoria citizens during the week of New Year, carrying out raids in the east of the state, said the government
In an attack carried near Mboroko payam, two miles South of Maridi town, the Ugandan rebel killed some 40 people including two prominent local sub-chiefs in the area, 4 headmen, women and children. They also abducted unknown number of people.
An Uganda-led military coalition including Congo and South Sudan launched a joint offensive against LRA strongholds in Congo’s isolated Garamba National Park on Dec. 14 after LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to sign a deal to end his rebellion.
The Sultan of Maridi County James Samuel Murangi says his people who have been displaced at Mboroko payam are now starving in Maridi Town.
Murangi was speaking to the high level delegation led by Deputy Governor Col. Joseph Ngere accompanied by Brig. Gen 2nd Division of SPLA Deng Rog Mayar and the Director of the humanitarian SRRC on Jan 7th 2009 during a visit to the area following the attack between 24th and 29th Dec 2008.
The sultan said that “most of the people displaced by the LRA are farmers”, he stressed that, over 140 households have been displaced adding up to six thousand people have not yet been registered.
He noted that the attacked took place at a time when people are supposed to harvest their farm yields.
He warned that “the crowded people who have no proper accommodation, the IDPs, are now starving and are likely to be faced with disease outbreaks.” He urged the government to appeal to the well-wishers and the NGOs to support them with food.
The Government of Western Equatoria State has strongly condemned the massacre of the innocent civilians and promised to provide security and moral support to the affected areas.
The LRA went on rampage dividing themselves into small groups massacring innocent civilians following the decision of December 14, 2008 by Uganda government, DRC with the aid of Southern Sudan to flash out the LRA at their hideout at the boarder of DRC and Sudan.
A woman who requested anonymity because of fear, explained how she lost her two children.
“They appeared on my compound carrying pangas and woods on the 29th December 2008, it was around 8pm, they found me with my two children; they gave me a big wood and told me to kill my children, I killed one under a gun point, it was very painful. Instead of killing my second child I hit the LRA bandit and immediately another one killed my child I alarmed and then ran away in the middle of the murky minded rebels.”
“LRA have come to kill us, they are killing women and children who would be the future, we have finished” she screamed.
Thousands of people have also been killed and nearly two million displaced in northern Uganda in two decades of fighting between the LRA rebels and Ugandan government forces.
Blamed for widespread human rights violations over the years, the LRA is accused of killing hundreds of civilians in northeastern DR Congo — at least 400, according to Catholic aid group Caritas — during the Christmas period.
In a separate attack at a Payam of Mundri west County called Tore Wandi between 1st and 9th January 2009, LRA attacked the village abducting 13 people and burned houses.
On January 7, they attacked another place called Bangolo where they killed a police Sgt identified as Wisely Governor Elkana in-charge of Bangolo Police station and 3 other people. They further abducted 10 people and looted shops including medicines at Bangolo Health centre.
Nearly seven thousand people have been displaced to Mundri West County town.
However, the SPLA forces and the civilians are now pursuing the Ugandan rebels.
Given the viciousness and vandalism the LRA are impacting on the people of WES, young men have taken up clubs, spears, machetes, and arrows to defend themselves from the barbaric attacks of LRA.
This popular mobilization has been backed by the state government. However the state government is tremendously working to quell the LRA secretive and surprising attacks.
LRA are believed to be running short of ammunitions, hence they have resorted into chopping the limbs and body parties of anybody who appear on their way.
(ST)