Summary:
- On September 20, 2000, Karimojong warriors massacred 32 refugees men, women, and children when they attacked the Aperu-Aodot camp in Ngariam. In the first massacre, 17 people were killed. A subsequent attack in 2003 left over 21 people dead, with many others injured, some permanently disabled.
KATAKWI: Survivors of the Karimojong attacks in Apeuru-Aodot, Ngariam, Palam, and Okore in Katakwi District, eastern Uganda, have urged the Ugandan government, under the leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to declare September 20th a public holiday.
The proposed holiday would honor the memory of their loved ones killed during attacks on the Ngariam camp in 2000 and 2003.
On September 20, 2000, Karimojong warriors massacred 32 refugees men, women, and children when they attacked the Aperu-Aodot camp in Ngariam. In the first massacre, 17 people were killed. A subsequent attack in 2003 left over 21 people dead, with many others injured, some permanently disabled.
During a remembrance mass on Friday, Andrew Okello, LC 1 chairperson of Pakwi Village, Pakwi Parish, Okore Sub County, called on the government to take responsibility for organizing annual prayers for the souls of the deceased on September 20th.
William Opoo, a resident of Otome Village in Palam Parish, Palam Sub County, also spoke during the event. Opoo, a former LDU fighter who was shot and paralyzed during the attack, appealed to the government for assistance in building a permanent home and supporting the education of his children.
He also emphasized the need for the government to provide education for widows, widowers, and orphans affected by the violence.
Charles Ikabat, LC3 of Okore, echoed these calls, urging the government to build a technical school in the affected sub-counties as a way to honor those who lost their lives.
In a message read on behalf of Daniel Mulalu, the President’s Private Secretary in Charge of Political Mobilization, Mulalu expressed his support for the survivors and their families. He recommended that the government designate September 20th as a day of national prayer in remembrance of the victims.
Mulalu also donated UGX 2 million to the organization behind the prayer event and called for the rehabilitation of security roads in the region to reduce insecurity and promote trade between Karamoja and Teso.
The Deputy Resident District Commissioner of Katakwi, Vincent Savior Okwi, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fulfilling its pledge to establish a technical memorial school. He assured the survivors that his office would follow up on this and other issues raised in the community’s memorandum.
During the mass, Rev. Eng. Julius Apedu of St. Peter’s Cathedral, Soroti Church of Uganda, led prayers for the victims and their families. He urged Christians to forgive the Karimojong warriors, citing biblical teachings on the importance of forgiveness.
It was recounted that approximately 300 Karimojong warriors had surrounded the Aperu-Aodot refugee camp during the attacks. In 2003, over 21 victims were buried, and another 17 had been laid to rest in Ngariam Cemetery following the 2000 massacre.
The prayer service held on Friday, September 20, 2024, marked the remembrance of the victims who were killed on September 20, 2000.
