{UAH} Teso war victims to be reburied

By Richard Otim

Posted  Sunday, January 11   2015 at  02:00

Soroti- Remains of 2,745 people killed during the insurgencies in Teso sub-region will be exhumed to be accorded decent burial, local authorities have said.

Former Amuria District chairman and also leader of Teso War Victims Association, Mr Julius Ochen, said on Thursday that Shs30m had been earmarked for the reburial exercise.

He said part of the money would be used for purchase of coffins, cement for construction of the tombs, goats for the rituals and land where the remains would be buried.

"We don't want spirits of these people to disturb our children in future. In our culture, all the dead should be given decent burial and this is what we are doing," Mr. Ochen said.

He said most bodies of the victims had been dumped in mass graves and could not be easily recovered or identified by the relatives. "There are so many mass graves across Teso. Many bodies of people killed during the [1987-1991] insurgency have not been accounted for," said Mr Ochen.

Kumi MP Patrick Amuriat said there are estimated 200 remains in one of the mass graves at Omurang village in Kanyumu Sub-county, Kumi District.

Last year, President Museveni promised fresh investigations into alleged atrocities committed by the National Resistance Army now UPDF against civilians in Teso during the counter insurgency operations in the closing years of the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, said the investigation team would visit the various mass graves and particularly Kanyumu in Kumi to gather evidence.