Inside Kony’s base - Part IV

LRA fighters stand guard the rebels base in Garamba Forest in 2006.

What you need to know:

The players. In the second last episode of our series, we look at who was at the peace talks in South Sudan on the side of the Uganda government

The year was 2006. President Yoweri Museveni had won his third election, the first being in 1996. Too much water had flowed under the bridge. The Constitution had been amended to allow multiparty politics, John Garang, father of the nation of South, Sudan had died in a helicopter crash and Dr Kizza Besigye had become a key factor in national politics.

After his ascension to power, President Museveni had been used to the traditional opposition of UPC, DP and JEEMA. He had in this particular election of 2006 faced off with a man he had closely worked with, not only as his personal doctor, but also as his National Political Commissar (NPC) and a member of his Cabinet.

The 2006 election was significant to national politics because of the stiff competition Besigye brought on board, but also because of the run-up to the poll. Besigye had been in and out of court during the campaigns. In fact, during nominations of candidates at Namboole, only his photo was presented.

This made the swearing in of President Museveni, after victory, significant to watch. He is remembered to have warned that in the new tenure, he would take a back step and leap, to crash whoever would stand in his way!

But that was not the only key factor at the swearing in. Several heads of state attended, including South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit. After the function at Kololo, Kiir and Museveni held talks after which it was announced that the ally up north would broker peace talks between the government of Uganda and the LRA rebels.

Joseph Kony, the reclusive LRA leader and his band of fighters had been squeezed by Operation Iron Fist and they fled to South Sudan. From there they would spring and cause havoc. So the offer by South Sudan was enticing, even to the leader, who after two Betty Bigombe-led attempts to lure the rebels to the negotiating table, had vowed to crash them militarily.

Of course, there were also voices from northern Uganda which relentlessly pounded the need to hold peace talks as the sure way to end the bloodletting caused by the war, but outside Uganda, with ‘neutral’ mediators on a neutral ground to make them credible.

I reported to work normally at the New Vision. That time I was covering Parliament, mainly, and the presidency. Well, I had written a couple of stories about the rebellion but it had never crossed my mind that I would in July 2006 begin a journey that would lead me to hobnob with the feared LRA rebels.

So when New Vision John Kakande called me over to his desk and announced that I would be travelling to Juba, South Sudan, to cover the peace talks, I took it as a fools’ day joke. But Mr Kakande was not to joke with deployments, as all those who have worked under him can testify! You either do as has said or you part ways. You could see in Mr Kakande the mentorship of Mr William Pike, the colossus former Editor in Chief of New Vision, and the character of a teacher in him.

The war correspondent of New Vision at the time, Mr Emmy Allio, had boxed the editors in a corner. He pleaded a huge family problem to escape deployment in Juba, to avoid being away to finish a short course he had enrolled for at university. Little did I know he had recommended my name as heir apparent.

So I packed my bags and set off for Juba. The only thing I envisaged about Juba was that it was post conflict. Everything else, I was blank. First time was a meeting of Uganda’s chosen peace talks’ delegation with the president of South Sudan.

We travelled by Eagle Air and landed at Juba International Airport. On emerging from the plan, we were hit by the heat wave. Juba can be hot, even when it rains. You sweat from the day you arrive until the day you leave. In fact, people there use more of face towels than the usual handkerchiefs.

Taking water to quench the thirst is also not an option as you will spend most of the day doing that. We soon got accustomed to the tradition of taking a strong concentration of coffee with much sugar as a solution.

After we checked through the VIP lounge, we walked through the small airport to the other side where a convoy of vehicles awaited us. We were driven to the presidential palace and ushered in. There were mean-looking soldiers on guard but they didn’t give us any trouble. We were soon ushered into the Cabinet room. I had my small Canon camera and was clicking away at any opportunity. The lighting was dim and unknown to me lost most of my shots.

A tall bearded man walked in with a couple of guys with equally dark complexion that I later learnt were ministers of South Sudan. Among them was a shorter guy with a kazigo (gap in the teeth), and wore an occasional grin. He was Dr Riek Machar, the then vice president of South Sudan and who was later to turn out as the chief mediator at the talks. There was also a troop of journalists from South Sudan.

After the greetings were done, we were herded out so that the closed meeting could start. Soldiers led us to a holding room where we sat and waited. Hours later, we were told that president Kiir was going to address a press conference. My expectation of the big story rose to excitement levels.

When we were led to the room for the briefing, it was announced that talks were to begin the following week. I remember president Kiir handing over to the leader of the government of Uganda team, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, a letter to convey to President Museveni of South Sudan’s acceptance to mediate.

Dr Rugunda’s team had several carefully chosen team; Henry Okello Oryem, Dr P.S Kagoda, Mr Christopher Gashirabake, Mr Busho Ndiyenka, Leo Kyanda, Paddy Ankunda, Dr Amos Mukumbi, Tumusiime Nyakaitana, Charles Otema Awany, the late Maku Iga, Charles Kyomukama, Charles Oundo and Wilber Katabaazi.

It pays to be loyal
When I look back to this team of the government negotiators, one conclusion that comes to be is that it pays to be loyal. These persons are now all powerful in government.

Dr Rugunda who was then minister of Internal Affairs is now Prime Minister of Uganda while the man who assisted him as deputy in the peace talks, Mr Oryem, maintains his Cabinet post as minister for International Relations.

Dr Kagoda is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs while Mr Gashirabake, who by then a State Attorney, is Solicitor General.
Brig Kyanda was by then headed the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and is now the Chief of Staff for Land Forces while Brig Awany is the UPDF Chief of Logistics and Engineering.

Mr Kyomukama who was an officer in the office of the Minister of Internal Affairs then is now the acting director of Legal Services in the Uganda Police.
Mr Ndiyenka who headed Uganda’s consulate in Juba then retired while Mr Oundo who was then first secretary in Juba is at Uganda’s embassy in Cairo.

It’s not clear where Mr Nyakaitana who led operations in the north is currently deployed while Mr Mukumbi, who was director general of ISO, was relieved of his duties in the aftermath of the June 2010 bombings in Kampala.

Ankunda, who was army spokesperson at the time, was Captain. He is now Lt Col and still army spokesperson.

Sadly, Iga who was then the director general of ESO and Katabazi who headed the secretarial services for the team in Juba have passed on.

In our last episode next week we take a look at the rebel leaders