Africa-Press – Uganda. The Acholi cultural institution has halted an ongoing exercise to reunite former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels with their families following confusion on rituals to be performed.
Mr Geoffrey Okello Okuna, the chiefdom’s acting prime minister, told Daily Monitor on Monday that they suspended the exercise after the reunion team went against the recommendations they issued regarding the different rituals and where they were to be performed.
“There are things we directed them to do before starting the exercise only for them to go contrary to our directive. Not that we are demanding something personal, we only want to guarantee the safety, health, and wellbeing of these returnees by performing proper rituals,” Mr Okuna said, adding that the team made the returnees undergo the same type of ritual.
“The family reunion and ritual performances are done specifically to an individual and it differs from person to person because all of them did not commit the same crimes while captives,” he said.
Mr Okuna said they are meeting the reunion team, including the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the Prime Minister, tomorrow to harmonise the differing positions.
Mr Jimmy Otema, an official with Terra Renaissance, a local non-government organisation that partnered with the government to reintegrate the returnees, said exorbitant demands by the chiefdom caused a misunderstanding that led to the suspension of the activity.
“They are demanding a very huge budget, and that is only money to facilitate the chiefs and it has disorganised everything. The paramount chief wants all the 60 chiefs facilitated to attend the exercise where each clan chief is to be facilitated at a standard rate of Shs300, 000,” he said.
According to Mr Otema, there is no need to invite all the chiefs since returnees come from only a few clans.
“These returnees come from less than 10 clans. Some of the returnees who are now aged are also declining to undergo fresh rituals as demanded by the chiefdom,” he said.
Adding: “There are elders who are against performing the rituals from the palace in Gulu City and we need to respect the position of these families. Some of them (returnees) are 50 years plus.”
In December 2023, a total of 141 returnees were relocated from their transit camp at Migyera in Nakasongola District to the SOS centre in Gulu City, where they were to spend a couple of months before being reintegrated into the community.
The returnees include 36 ex-combatants, 27 spouses, and 78 children.
On February 1, a memorandum of association was signed between the government (Office of the Prime Minister), PAX and APRu, a DRC-based organisation, and other NGOs to help in the repatriation of the returnees from Central Africa Republic and DRC to Uganda.
According to the Northern Uganda State minister, Ms Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, the civil society organisations provide food, beverages, and sanitary items during their reintegration programmes, and organise medical checkups for the returnees, among others.
Likewise, the OPM also gave a mattress, a basin, four saucepans, a blanket, four plates and cups, 5kgs of maize flour and beans, and some money to the LRA returnees while being reunited with their families, she said.
Source: Monitor
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