A day after President Yoweri Museveni asked the Police to examine whether the recent statements of MPs Reagan Okumu and Livingstone Okello-Okello were not potentially criminal, Acholi MPs have hit back, saying they will not be intimidated.
Shortly after the UPDF Air Force attacked the LRA in the Democratic Republic of Congo forest hideout of Garamba on December 14, the two legislators said the army shelled empty camps because the LRA leader got wind of the attack and fled.
Addressing a charged news conference at Parliament yesterday, Aswa MP, Mr Okumu, the Vice Chairperson of Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG), vowed to take on the President Museveni for alleged war crimes the UPDF allegedly committed during the two-decade war in northern Uganda.
However, the MP could not delve into the details of the alleged crimes, the UPDF could have committed in northern Uganda, despite pressure from journalists. “If he thinks he can take us on legally using his police officers, we are also capable of taking him on for war crimes he committed on our people in northern Uganda because we have evidence,” Mr Okumu said. “If his daughters and sons were abducted by LRA, I don’t think he would have used indiscriminate bombings rather than talking peace.”
Mr Okumu told journalists that the APG will not succumb to any pressure to retract their statement on the resumption of the military offensive against LRA in the jangles of Garamba. “We are the leaders of Acholi and there are no other leaders and President Museveni should have remorse and listen to our people. We are not opposing this war just for the sake of it, it’s because of the indiscriminate bombings targeting the same people the government failed to protect and were abducted by rebels,” Mr Okumu said.
He added; “We were not mad, we know what we were talking about and those were the views of our people in northern Uganda. We want President Museveni to talk peace and the war is not helping because he is targeting our sons and daughters in captivity, whom he failed to, protect and were abducted by Joseph Kony.”
During a press conference on Monday, President Museveni warned politicians not to make malicious statements about the operation. He added that “those Okello-Okellos are signing their political death warrant. We are going to shoot Kony and what will they say? You tell lies and you are in Parliament!” Mr Museveni said.
But Mr Okumu challenged President Museveni to show evidence that UPDF attacks against Kony bases in Garamba were on target, adding that as a member of Parliament, he would demand accountability for the “wasted” bombshells. “If we can question the army about the undersized uniforms, how about the blind bombshells where taxpayers funds were wasted? We are all stakeholders and we shall not be intimidated because President Museveni wants us to keep quit, it will not happen and as leaders of northern Uganda, we shall continue talking,” Mr Okumu said.
He added; “If they knew the whereabouts of Kony how come they only got his guitar and not the person? Why didn’t they capture or kill Kony. Demonising us will not solve the problem, our stand is clear, what our people have achieved through the peace process will never be reversed by anybody.” But in his response, Mr Museveni has since described the attack as “very successful”, adding that the reclusive rebel leader may have escaped because he acquired a gadget that he used to monitor the radio conversations of the pilots manning the helicopter gunships.
However, despite calls by Acholi leaders to halt the offensive, Mr Museveni suggested that the Ugandan contingent would stay in Garamba for an extended period as it tries to capture or kill Kony.
The peace process with the rebels, whose leaders are still being sought for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, hit a snag with LRA leader Kony failing to sign the final peace agreement in April. However, northern leaders have argued that the resumption of war will make the argument for continued dialogue and eventual signing of the final deal more tenuous.
The UPDF, assisted by the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army and the Congolese army, on Sunday December 14 launched air strikes against suspected rebel positions in north east Democratic Republic of Congo following the repeated failure of LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony to sign a peace deal.
Shortly after the UPDF Air Force attacked the LRA in the Democratic Republic of Congo forest hideout of Garamba on December 14, the two legislators said the army shelled empty camps because the LRA leader got wind of the attack and fled.
Addressing a charged news conference at Parliament yesterday, Aswa MP, Mr Okumu, the Vice Chairperson of Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG), vowed to take on the President Museveni for alleged war crimes the UPDF allegedly committed during the two-decade war in northern Uganda.
However, the MP could not delve into the details of the alleged crimes, the UPDF could have committed in northern Uganda, despite pressure from journalists. “If he thinks he can take us on legally using his police officers, we are also capable of taking him on for war crimes he committed on our people in northern Uganda because we have evidence,” Mr Okumu said. “If his daughters and sons were abducted by LRA, I don’t think he would have used indiscriminate bombings rather than talking peace.”
Mr Okumu told journalists that the APG will not succumb to any pressure to retract their statement on the resumption of the military offensive against LRA in the jangles of Garamba. “We are the leaders of Acholi and there are no other leaders and President Museveni should have remorse and listen to our people. We are not opposing this war just for the sake of it, it’s because of the indiscriminate bombings targeting the same people the government failed to protect and were abducted by rebels,” Mr Okumu said.
He added; “We were not mad, we know what we were talking about and those were the views of our people in northern Uganda. We want President Museveni to talk peace and the war is not helping because he is targeting our sons and daughters in captivity, whom he failed to, protect and were abducted by Joseph Kony.”
During a press conference on Monday, President Museveni warned politicians not to make malicious statements about the operation. He added that “those Okello-Okellos are signing their political death warrant. We are going to shoot Kony and what will they say? You tell lies and you are in Parliament!” Mr Museveni said.
But Mr Okumu challenged President Museveni to show evidence that UPDF attacks against Kony bases in Garamba were on target, adding that as a member of Parliament, he would demand accountability for the “wasted” bombshells. “If we can question the army about the undersized uniforms, how about the blind bombshells where taxpayers funds were wasted? We are all stakeholders and we shall not be intimidated because President Museveni wants us to keep quit, it will not happen and as leaders of northern Uganda, we shall continue talking,” Mr Okumu said.
He added; “If they knew the whereabouts of Kony how come they only got his guitar and not the person? Why didn’t they capture or kill Kony. Demonising us will not solve the problem, our stand is clear, what our people have achieved through the peace process will never be reversed by anybody.” But in his response, Mr Museveni has since described the attack as “very successful”, adding that the reclusive rebel leader may have escaped because he acquired a gadget that he used to monitor the radio conversations of the pilots manning the helicopter gunships.
However, despite calls by Acholi leaders to halt the offensive, Mr Museveni suggested that the Ugandan contingent would stay in Garamba for an extended period as it tries to capture or kill Kony.
The peace process with the rebels, whose leaders are still being sought for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, hit a snag with LRA leader Kony failing to sign the final peace agreement in April. However, northern leaders have argued that the resumption of war will make the argument for continued dialogue and eventual signing of the final deal more tenuous.
The UPDF, assisted by the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army and the Congolese army, on Sunday December 14 launched air strikes against suspected rebel positions in north east Democratic Republic of Congo following the repeated failure of LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony to sign a peace deal.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Acholi_MPs_fire_back_at_Museveni_on_LRA_attack_77330.shtml
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