{UAH} IDDI AMIN NEVER TARGETED LANGIs/ACHOLIs, THEY TARGETED HIM {---Series twenty one}

 

Forced intercourse with a father/brother

Some girls and women were forced to have sex with their fathers or brothers. One old man was forced to have sex with his 18 year old daughter while the soldiers and family watched, when the man refused the soldiers dug a hole in the ground with a bayonet and forced him to play sex with the hole. The man was about 75 years of age then. The old man's sexual organs got badly bruised and completely damaged resulting into impotence. In the man's own words he said "I was embarrassed for all this was being done in front of my wife, daughter and son, I had been active sexually"………… he broke down and cried. All these modes of sexual abuse constitute gross human rights abuse.

 

The problems in government camps

…… During menstruation we would get leaves which we would briefly put in the sun to soften them before using them as pads. Sometimes we could even fail to get suitable leaves which could be substituted for pads. The only good was that many of our friends stopped menstruating until the end of the war !!!!" {Kikamulo combatant}

 

…….."They called our friends that they were going to carry benches for the visitors who were coming. By next day, all those who were taken had been killed" {Kikamulo female respondents}

 

"Government soldiers could wait at water places and start collecting women and girls who had come to collect water. When the number became big, they would put us on a lorry or make us walk long distances to detaches or camps……." {Respondent from Makulubita}

 

"Government soldiers used to rape us. They would put us in a room. When night time came, they used to come and snatch us, take us out and rape us. They would tell us to go back to the huts. When our parents complained, about such acts, they would be asked what the difference was between the army men and other men the girls or women loved. The soldiers would sometimes undress in front of the parents to force them see the private parts in front of their daughters saying "this is what I have used to defile your daughter"  {Individual respondent Kikyusa}

 

…….I found a lot of problems in the camp. Every time we had to be tortured. Whenever the soldiers were not paid in good time, they would carry out massive killings, claiming that it is because there were many people in the camp who had to be provided  for, that their money was being diverted to feed the people in the camp. Reducing our numbers would make the officials to pay the soldiers in time" {Individual respondent, Makulubita}

 

The extracts above, demonstrate that sometimes soldiers may have acted contrally to expectations as individuals rather than due to having been ordered by the government. Therefore, while government at a time would be blamed for all the atrocities committed, soldiers in their own rights used to commit some crimes on their own accord. This situation was aggravated by government failing to control its soldiers. In addition people reported being made to work like prisoners. They dug for the whole day, were forced to carry stolen goods, after which some would be killed to destroy the evidence and witnesses to the theft. Despite hard work,  there was little food to eat resulting in malnutrition, sanitation and hygiene was very poor, resulting in high rate of morbidity and mortality, for example people developed unique leg ulcers commonly referred to as Bidomola.

 

Reactions of women to the atrocities committed

The women were asked to indicate how they reacted to all these fore-narrated atrocities committed against them and to their family members. The majority of women indicated a reaction of helplessness and hopelessness. One typical response was; "It was nearly impossible to fight someone who is armed when you yourself is not armed. The government forces had a mission and that was to kill. So the only safe alternative was to try to run away from the fighting environment or join and support the rebels for self-preservation" The second reason given for many people's helplessness to react was because  they were already in captivity and had no liberty to react otherwise. The third was the apparent contradiction in expectations. While they expected the government forces to protect them, the forces instead became the enemy. The  fourth reason was that many women had children whom they had to protect and look after and therefore they could not join the fighting directly. However there were some {especially the women} who were fade-up with the whole situation and the misconduct of the government forces and decided to join hands with the rebels to fight their "common enemy". One female combatant had this to say: ……….."I looked for my relatives and I could not find them. So, I had nothing to do other than joining the rebels". {Kikamulo sub-county}

 

Women also experienced hardship during flight and hiding. It is these  hardships which influence their reactions. Because of the insecurity in the war, people scattered to different places from their homes. Most of the women reported that they found refuge in Singo, Mubende district. This is the area that had been liberated from the government forces and was in the  hands of the rebels. However, many were just running and hiding in forests and swamps. They moved from village to village within Luwero, Mpigi, Mubende, and some went as far as Kampala, Mukono and Entebbe. Most of these movements were done on foot. Some found refuge in camps.

 

Experiences during flight and hiding

Regardless of the above specified behaviors of both warring groups, women reported to have been forced to flee, and hide in different places or to continue moving all the time due different reasons. These included; searching for food, firewood, water, from the war zone, looking for lost children and relatives, and checking on their property. While the pattern of movement in terms of hiding, stop overs, and duration of stay varied depending on circumstances, such movements were rarely planned. Distances people used to cover in a day could not be exactly ascertained. However, some reported having moved for more than 100 miles from their original homes. Many estimated to have walked between five and eighteen miles a day. A responded from Makulubita's testimony was :

 

…………"We were just running desperately and aimlessly from Semuto, Kapeeka, Kikyusa in Semuto, Nakaseke in Luwero District and later moved to Singo Mubende district"

 

The nature of hiding places varied depending on; the geography of the area and hiding places; having relatives and friends to run to within and outside the district, responsibilities such as children, the elderly, the sick; and perception of the seriousness war. Generally people stayed in hiding for shorter periods ranging between one day to a when they were nearer to their original homes. As they  moved further from their homes they stayed for longer periods ranging from six months or more to as long as  four years. People stayed hiding for shorter periods where there was fear of war and stayed for longer periods or even years when it was deemed safe. In such cases they started farming. Sometimes they were running in circles coming back from where they had come from. For instance a woman from N'goma said:

 

…………"The itinerary was from Kalungu to Muyenje; Kiguranya, Katikandegeya, Ng'oma, Mugga, Kabuye, Kyera, back to Kabuye, then Nkokonjeru and then Kindeke. In all those places, we never stayed for more than a month because anytime we would be ambushed by the enemy. We had to run to N'goma then to Singo and back to N'goma. I run with my husband three sons and 4 daughters totaling to 9 people"

 

This adversely affected women's ability to obtain food for their children and the family, respondents were running with their immediate family members and relatives, that is spouses, children and in laws, groups ranged between a single person running alone to as many as 13 people. When the war intensified, groups disintegrated and each one had to run for his/her life. Although it was rare for one to run alone for a long time. Child care and care of the elderly, persons with disabilities and the sick continued to be the responsibility of women even during time of fleeing and hiding. It was reported that children, elderly and disabled would be hidden separately in discreet places in the bush and would be check on and given food. Women usually made young children {who could walk} to start off early and walk slowly and the rest would follow later. Women indicated difficulty in moving with children because it was not easy to stop them from making noise. The women had to devise tactics of hiding and controlling noise of any child. Women used to move more of less permanently carrying their children on their backs and suckling  babies. The breast would be permanently in the mouth of their children to stop them from crying. Children would also be gagged with old clothes to stop them from crying. However the children that could not keep quite faced the risk of being strangled, suffocated or abandoned. Because of the condition at the time, it was reported that older children {3 years and above also got scared and seemed to know that they were in danger. They could keep complete silence while others learnt how to whisper. One woman from Makulubita said; ……."The children also started fearing because they were jumping dead bodies. So they knew that anytime we could also be dead. Once a bullet was shot, no child cried or made noise, there would be dead silence. Children learnt how to take cover by crawling on the ground until they found somewhere to hide. Those who could not keep quite would have their mouths gagged."

 

A tale of horror and pain

After the death of her husband in 1983 this woman was left to carter for 13 children of her own and of her co-wife. She managed to escape with 11 of them, two died on the way. She and the children became refugees on the outskirts of Kampala. She labored for food for her family, While crushing stones for builders, she fell into a pit and sustained an injury on her collar bone. She was admitted into Lubaga hospital for a period of six months.

 

Stay in the forum for Series twenty two is on the way   ------>

 

EM

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"