Lukodi village is located approximately 17 kilometers from Gulu town. It was the scene of a horrendous
massacre by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in May 2004, leading to the death of over 69 civilians.
Dominic Ongwen is currently on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in part due to what happened here.
Ongwen’s trial before the ICC started on December 6, 2016. He is
charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity
allegedly committed in attacks on camps for people displaced by the
conflict in northern Uganda. The attacks took place between 2003 and
2004 in the camps of Pajule, Odek, Abok, and Lukodi. Ongwen has also
been charged with sexual and gender-based crimes, including the crime of
forced marriage.
To commemorate the attack on Lukodi, memorial prayers are held
annually on May 19 at which thousands of community members usually
participate. This year, however, a low turnout was registered, with some
victims citing dissatisfaction with the slow pace of Ongwen’s trial,
among other reasons. However, for many victims and survivors who lost
their relatives during the massacre, the prayers still remain important
for remembering their loved ones.
As one community member said, “The prayers have helped me to cope
with the past. Having lost relatives during the massacre, the prayers
help me to feel better and gives me hope that what happened back then
will not happen again. It is a way of counseling for me.”
Wilson, a community member who was involved in organizing the prayers
said, “The prayers make us feel more secure knowing that Kony is now
far and that he will not come back. Also, now that Ongwen is in court,
it feels safe to speak about anything, unlike in the past where even
just having an interview like this one with the press would make us fear
that our names would be published.”
Despite the significance of the prayers and the ongoing trial of
Ongwen, this year’s memorial prayers experienced lower than normal
attendance by community members, local leaders, and representatives of
civil society organizations. Although the day was graced by the
presence of Gulu Municipality Woman MP, Hon. Betty Aol Ochan, many
community members felt participation had not been good compared to the
previous year
when the function was attended by the Acholi Paramount Chief, Rwot
David Onen Achana, representatives from the ICC Office of the
Prosecutor, the victims’ legal representatives, and over 10
representatives of civil society organizations. On this occasion no
representative from the ICC was present, and only three civil society
organizations were represented.
Given that Ongwen’s trial recently kicked off at the ICC and that
over 4,000 victims (the majority of whom are from Lukodi) have
registered to participate in the trial, it is difficult to understand
and explain the low turnout at this year’s memorial prayers. If
anything, the ongoing trial of Ongwen should have motivated the
community members to attend in large numbers.
Some community members blamed the poor attendance on lack of support
from local leaders who neither participate in the preparations nor
attend the event.
David, a local leader from Lukodi said, “The problem is that
government leaders are still not getting involved in the prayers. Even
our local leaders here in Lukodi are not participating in these prayers
yet it is a good thing. The turn up has not been good this year because
of the rain, but there is hope that the next year will be better.
However
, the prayer is helping us to have courage and we expect the trial of Ongwen to conclude well.”
Sunday, a community member who has attended the prayers for the last
four years running, noted that the attendance was low compared to the
previous year. “It is different this year. I have been attending these
prayers for four years now and as you can see the number of people has
reduced. I think people are just losing interest in the prayer since
they have been coming for the prayers ever since but they feel they are
not gaining anything out of it.”
Wilson, another community member agreed with Sunday but emphasized
the significance of these prayers for the survivors. “This year is
different. The turn up is poor though a number of factors could be
responsible. It could be loss of interest among the people, while others
may no longer be considering the prayers important. However, I know
that to the survivors it is important and they always come,” he said.
Other community members blamed the lack of interest in the trial process of Ongwen, which they felt was dragging.
One community member called Joseph put it bluntly, “The number of
people who attended have reduced compared to the past because people are
discouraged that Ongwen’s court case is taking so long to be ruled, and
they are beginning to think that many victims will not benefit from
this trial.”
Gloria, another community member said, “People expect to hear some
good news that will encourage them and make their heart have peace. But
the trial is delaying and this is discouraging people.”
Gibson, a community leader said, “People are praying in memory of
their loved ones and even if Ongwen was not on trial, people would still
pray. However, people are few in number compared to last year because
they have doubt in the trial of Ongwen. They feel it is the same story
every year, and yet they want the trial to go quickly.”
Asked whether future prayers will hold more meaning for them given
that Ongwen is on trial, many community members replied in the
affirmative, although they emphasized the need for more support from
local leaders and civil society organizations.
“With the trial of Ongwen now underway, we need to continue with
future prayers because it will help in uplifting people’s dignity
especially after the loss of our dear ones. The prayer, just like the
trial, helps in providing psychological healing. The NGOs should provide
more support for the day, since it has been a challenge for the team to
organize for the prayers,” said David.
Sunday agreed with David: “It will be good to hold future prayers
even after the trial concludes because it gives people hope and courage
to move on positively with their lives. To improve the prayers, there is
need for the youth to get more involved. There should be other
activities for the day besides the prayers, for example a football match
to make the day more lively. There is also need for support from the
different stake holders.”
“Now that someone is being tried for the Lukodi massacre, future
prayers will hold more meaning, but the resources are not enough to
sustain this program by the community. So there is need for our leaders
to come in and support it. It will be good if we have a center for
memory set up here. It will make people to keep coming,” said Wilson, a
community member who was involved in organizing the prayers. “The
organisation of this prayer should not be left on the people of Lukodi
only, but the district leaders and NGOs should also come in to support
the program,” he added.
For other community members, however, the conclusion of Ongwen’s
trial was vital for motivating victims to attend future prayers. As
Wilson best put it, “In [the] future, the prayers will not be meaningful
as long as Ongwen’s trial is not concluded, and if the victims have not
received reparation.”
The above views underscore the importance of the memorial prayers to
the victims of the Lukodi massacre given that it is one of the few
existing ways to publicly remember the victims who perished. With the
trial of Ongwen now underway, the speed with which the trial is
concluded, coupled with the outcome may influence future attendance at
the memorial service. This feedback also demonstrates the need for the
ICC and civil society organizations to be visible in supporting those
affected by the Lukodi massacre as there is no clear end date for
Ongwen’s trial.
Lino Owor Ogora has worked with conflict affected communities in northern Uganda since 2006. He is the Founder of the Foundation for Justice and Development Initiatives (FJDI),
a local NGO based in Gulu District that works with children, youth,
women and communities to promote justice, development and economic
recovery in Northern Uganda.
