Grisly pictures of the massacre of 28 residents of Gang Pa Aculu trading Centre,
On October 23rd 2002, an estimated forty-four fighters of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) entered Omot Sub County from Par Samuelo Acak, near the river Agogo. They were given instruction by their LRA Commander, as soon as we cross the river, abduct whoever you come across until we reach Corner Gang pa Aculu in Opota Trading Centre.The team, consisting mostly of young soldiers, first moved North East, abducting twelve people in Lawal Ode, an additional eight people in Lalur Onyol and finally another twelve people were abducted from Latin Ling before they reached the point of slaughter. The Opota Trading Centre at Corner Gang Pa Aculu was the site where twenty-eight people lost their lives in the brutal and dehumanising Omot massacre. People were murdered, cut into pieces and then placed in cooking pots in front of dozens of witnesses.
The rebels chopped some of their victims into pieces and stuffed the body parts into a big black pot, to be cooked in the middle of a road at the trading centre.
Local sub-county leaders identified the victims. The incident was reported by Ugandan newspaper (The New Vision) as a punishment to the villagers for allowing a captive to escape through their village with some valuables belonging to the rebels.The rebels struck, asking the villagers the whereabouts of one of their fighters only identified as Ogong who had allegedly escaped with a gun, a large sum of money and a Polaroid camera. The rebels had just lost a battle to the UPDF in Pader. In their attempt to trace the fugitive, the rebels rounded up eight men and 20 women from Lawol Oder village, where the man was said to be hiding. After failing to get the runaway, the rebels turned their vengeance on the villagers. A horrified witness, who feared to be named, narrated how the rebels tied the victims kandoya-style (hands tied tightly at the elbows from the back), using sisal ropes. The victims were herded to Gang Pa Aculu village where they were executed in the middle of the road. After the massacre, the rebels then set a huge pot on three stones, chopped off the victims heads and limbs and stuffed the parts in the pot. Fortunately, the UPDF arrived at the scene in armoured vehicles and dispersed the rebels.
The local leaders identified two victims, Okidi Doctor and Ochan Lomoi, whose parts were stuffed in the pot. Other captives reportedly waited for execution in turns while others were told to eat roasted human flesh. Other victims were Martin Ocii, Alphonse Econg, Dennis Nyuta, a teacher at St Charles Lwanga, Kalongo and Okello Otwoli, who was roasted and placed on a dish.
Others were Kastorio Ogwal, Nyeko Aguda, Philimeto Okech, Christine Abiya, Cantina Alanyo, Andrew Kiwel and Night Oali, all from Bar Otiba and Patongo sub-counties.
By Felix Osike, Justin Moro, Chris Omwony& M. Ochan
KONY MASSACRE VICTIMS NAMED
Publish Date: Oct 31, 2002
Newvision Archive
Omot Massacre, 22 October 2002