THE SEVERAL TEARS OF DOMINIC ONGWEN, THE VICTIM TURNED VILLAIN. Gweno omito pe omor wange ikom langol ngute! Or a chicken must not open its eyes on he who cuts it’s neck but the one who ordered! The Northern war that took two decades, did not only epitomize Uganda’s dirty past or polarized the country, destroyed a generation but brought in the mother of all ironies and paradoxes! When victims become villains and loved by the tormented! Ongwen will shed several tears in the International Criminal court room. I am sure; Ongwen will shade these painful tears. The first one will be why didn’t mammy and daddy protect me or hide me away from being abducted at 10? I was a child; I thought a child is innocent! The second tears will fall from his wretched eyes, Why did government not kept me from abduction? I thought I am a child and a citizen to be protected! Another tears will fall, I don’t know my clan, I don’t know my clan mates because I was abducted as a child, I wished I died in the many wars I led! There will be paradoxical tears too; the Acholi and Lango community will shed tears remembering many of their children who are lost in the Jungle. They will just see Ongwen from the lenses of the lost children; they will imagine their children going to jail for what they didn’t do to become what they are. They didn’t join willingly! There will be tears from those Ongwen tormented and they will want him dead. I can see the signature of pain written across the faces of every one. What will clear these tears? During the course of the war, many lost their lives, children of over 30.000 in numbers were abducted. I remember personally I was abducted at 14 but after some time I escaped. I am sure with my shrewdness; I would have been top in leadership and wanted by ICC. But I was lucky; I remember the first ironies during the war were telling the truth. ‘My child is abducted, they are in a forest, and the National Resistance army (NRA) comes and ask, where are they, telling where they are will obviously mean my child will die. My child is forced into captivity; he/she is a child soldier now. I am praying day and night that one day God comes to his mind and escape back…he is a rebel, made a killer, I didn’t stop them from abducting them as a parent and as a society we didn’t, even government could stop my child from going away!’ It’s painful! ‘I become a collaborator when I don’t show you where the rebels are hiding yet I hate them for abducting my child. Gen Tinyefunza, the commander then became annoyed and tortured everyone and declared them all collaborators; but he was doing his national patriotic duty of ending rebellion. But why the rebellion. This moral question makes me believe that it was indeed what was to become of a Uganda, whom since its birth day on 9 October 1962 never had peace. With seven President that presided over several ethnic conflicts and genocide making Uganda a den of fear and terror! It took President Museveni 20 years to end wars in Uganda, the past years are history, but we must now deal with the after math of the wars to bring unity, peace and development. When elephants fight, the grasses will suffer! We suffered and still in pain…. Uganda now seems peaceful, development is visible but the ghost of the past haunts us! I imagine I didn’t escape in 1994 from LRA, remember the propaganda, the indoctrination of children. For others the first initiation was chopping at least 10 people to initiate you to death. You are then forced sometimes to eat human flesh! In Lango, there is a woman who was raped, forced to cut her husband and children to pieces and she eat their meat! She is not herself! Imagine if she went to captivity and became a commander? Now the world is in catch 22 situations! Imagine a government who took the murderous Kony to ICC has showed a painful heart. They too are in dilemma! They can afford to even pay for Lawyers. If it is the wish of Government, Ongwen would just be reunited by his parents. But he was a killer! He was a murderer, he killed across the region. What will a mother in Barlonyo feel after the massacre of entire family? No they will say, let Ongwen be hanged, and also boiled in a pot! An eye for an eye. I am sure the women, orphans in Acol Pii where a many were cooked in pots will get relieved only when justice is done on Ongwen, just like those in Congo! It’s a Paradox! But was it Ongwen only, not LRA alone but there were tormentors too in NRA. Uganda is in dire need of a national sorry and reconciliation day! It’s indeed a tragedy comedy! What Justice will Ongwen get, he was abducted, he killed and he is there! Mwaka Emmanuel Lutukumoi, was a victim, works with Government as Deputy RDC-Lira
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 07:39:52 +0000
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