“You can’t violate orders in the Lord’s Resistance Army,” Sixth witness tells court

On Wednesday 24^th October 2018, Jackson Acama a former primary school teacher testified about several topics at the ICC in the trial of Dominic Ongwen. Among the issues Mr. Acama testified about included but were not limited to; the formation of the Holy Spirit Movement [now LRA], Alice Lakwena’s powers, Kony and events that take place in the LRA. Jackson Acama, told court that when the National Resistance Army (NRA) [now UPDF] captured power, a section of the then army formed a rebel group called the Uganda People’s Democratic Army (UPDA) locally known as ‘Cilil’.

He narrated how he ended up in the LRA. He said the NRA that had just taken over power did not cooperate with civilians but rather carried out killings, torture, looting and mistreatment of civilians. “This prompted many of us to join the newly formed UPDA” Acama said. He noted that the UPDA did not agree with human rights violations which enabled them to gain local support. Mr. Acama asserted that in the UPDA he was taken as a coordinator responsible for mobilizing food stuff, and sensitizing the community about the objectives of the group; and in 1986 he was taken by the UPDA to meet Kony’s Holy Spirit Movement in a place called Awoo. “It was after being promised that collaborators would be allowed to return…, but to the contrary we were never allowed to return and that is how I ended up being conscripted forcefully into the Holy Spirit Movement [now LRA]. Acama said.

He further said the Holy Spirit Movement was started by Alice Lakwena after being inspired by the ‘holy spirits’. He explained that due to the ‘holy spirits she possessed’, Alice Lakwena became a traditional healer with the right to treat. Because of her skills Alice worked in UPDA as a doctor until when the NRA attacked a UPDA sick bay and killed all her patients. “Spirits commanded Alice Lakwena to declare a war against the NRA in retaliation.” Acama recalled.

Mr. Acama explained that initially, the ‘holy spirit’ ordered Alice Lakwena to form a taskforce of 300 troops with her exclusive after a battle in the eastern district of Mbale. Jackson Acama said at that time there were disagreements which ensued between Alice and the ‘Holy spirit’ who blamed her for failing to unite all Ugandans. “The Holy spirit ordered for her killing” but she escaped to Kenya where she sought asylum. Mr. Acama said that before escaping Lakwena prophesized that, “A boy would emerge and continue the war; the war would begin from Sudan.” Jackson Acama asserted that the boy she was talking about is Kony.

In clarification, the witness said the prophecy came to pass when the ‘Holy Spirit’ manifested itself to Kony on the Awere hill inform of a pigeon at a distance of 10m. “That is how God made him a servant” he said. He further narrated that Kony then joined the UPDA 105 brigade, which he later turned personal and named it the Holy Spirit brigade. He stated that Kony’s spiritual qualities inspired even children to join his movement and this culminated into the fulfillment of Alice Lakwena’s prophecy.

While in the LRA, Jackson Acama said he was recruited as a technician because he was learned. He said technicians have the responsibility of controlling armaments through performing some rituals to render the enemies’ weapons dysfunctional at the battlefront. Similar to technicians, Mr. Acama said are controllers who also control firearms, extortion of spirits among others. However, he explained that whereas controllers go to the field, technicians do not. He said in 1988 when LRA attacked Kitgum he was personally controlling the enemies’ guns from a stream but during that battle in particular, Egyptian made guns called ‘Raskas’ failed to be controlled, but the rest were completely controlled. The witness also talked about ‘control alter and the yard’ which he said is the holiest place in the LRA where all powers of God are exercised.

He also noted that the LRA have very strong regulations against escaping. “You can’t violate orders in the LRA, you can’t initiate your own order and when an order is issued it must be followed.” Acama said. He narrated a story of a man called Ojok who escaped but was pursued and speared to death when the troops got him at a ‘drink-up’ joint after recovering their gun. He further mentioned that the LRA doesn’t condone the rape of women but abducted women are distributed to various soldiers with strict regulations. He further explained that spirits give initial orders that Kony then issues through a chain of command. “This made people to continue to work and stay in the LRA because they believed to be working for God.” He said

The witness concluded his testimony on Thursday October 25th. The next witness will testify on Monday October 29^th, 2018