1983 Original statement of Ojok's death

“National Resistance Army Headquarters
6th December, 1983

So many lies have been told by the UPC regime about the death of their principal murderer, Oyite-Ojok, that it is really pointless to go on arguing with these gentlemen because they are shameless and incorrigible liars. After all, what does one expect of people who stole gold in 1966, or who usurped reins of government in both 1966 and 1980?

Whether Ojok was shot down by the NRA, was bobby-trapped by his own colleagues due to in-fighting, or quarrels over business deals, was bobby-trapped by ordinary soldiers who are being used by UPC as cannon-fodder while the UPC war-chiefs are downing champagne in Nile Mansions, or the reckless overuse of the machines (the helicopters), brought about the dis-integration of Ojok’s helicopter, or whether it was God’s punishment for his numerous crimes, it all amounts to the same thing: that a leading murderer of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Luwero, Mubende, Mpigi, West Nile, Madi, Mukono and Kampala, has finally perished by the sword he has been using to kill Ugandans.

The murderer of Katambwa, Busabaala, Nateete, has got his more than deserved punishment; the murderer of his fellow officers; Lt Col. Ndahendekire, Lt Col. Ruhinda, Lt Col. Oboma, Lt. Karenzi — to name only a few — has come to the same end to which he brought so many innocent people in Uganda. The lies of UPC notwithstanding, it is our duty to tell the World what happened on the 2nd of December 1983 and the week preceding that date:

On that day: Three helicopters were frantically and stupidly flying over the battle-field of Ngoma area. They would fly over the various river-crossings where our forces were either stationed, or in the vicinity, e.g. Wankaka, Birima, Nyakashangazi, Bulyamishenyi, (all in Luwero district), and then proceed on the Kyankwazi (Mubende district), in addition to calling on the enemy detachments at Kasozi, Wankaka, Katundu, Kijunjubwa (Masindi district), and Kyankwanzi.

The NRA has got many units in the area of Ngoma, Wakyato and Singo over which the three helicopters were flying. All these forces have got .orders to shoot down any helicopter if it comes in on a low altitude. These helicopters were dropping leaflets for the guerillas to surrender and were directing and co-ordinating the latest enemy offensive against us. They were not “visiting” troops as we were told by Radio Uganda. We have got irrefutable proof of this. On that day Ojok brought some Katyusha and 122 mm howitzer, in the area of Kyankwanzi and Kyakamunywero, etc. The orders to UPC troops were to advance on the 3rd of December from all fronts in one more useless offensive.

One week previously: The same Katyusha, 122mm howitzers and 14.5 mm AA guns had supported Obote soldiers who had crossed from Kasozi to Ngoma side and dug in. Later on, they tried to advance further and they were given a nasty blow, which forced them to go back to their defence near the river bank. There, they stayed without moving. It seems Ojok, knowing their reluctance to go on with the war, had come to urge them on. That is why his three helicopters spent the whole of the 2nd December 1983, flying desperately around the battle-field.

In criss-crossing the battle-field, one of the helicopters attracted fire from our forces in Biduku area. It, however, flew on towards Kasozi. Then around 8.00 p.m., our soldiers who were on the Ngoma side of Kasozi, heard the helicopter take off in darkness; then, after a short while, saw a spark of fire on the flying helicopter which was quickly followed by the fire engulfing the whole helicopter and the whole helicopter came down burning until it thudded to the ground -- just 3 kms from where our soldiers were. We think that the fire of our soldiers in Biduku must have caused some damage which eventually resulted in the crash of Ojok’s helicopter.

This is not the first time we have shot down Obote’s helicopters in the same way: In September, our forces in Nshaka area shot down another helicopter which went and crash-landed behind the enemy lines. We have got irrefutable evidence of all these facts.

It is high time the international community knew the Obote clique for what they are - liars. In July we destroyed an enemy battalion at Luwero; afterwards one of the UPC officials said, that Luwero had been destroyed by a ‘storm’!! What else can one expect from the UPC regime?

The people of Uganda, however, know the truth about the UPC regime. As for us we shall go on delivering blows on the UPC regime until they either grant the democratic and human rights of the people of Uganda or they are put on the dung-heap of history. Moreover, we are no longer going to show lenience, to the crimes of UPC leaders - especially genocide against some of the peoples of Uganda - (especially to the authors of these crimes). Our lenience to the UPC leadership has given too much licence to these thugs to murder our people, from the security of Nile Mansions.

This Ojok died after, indeed, supervising the murder of: 28 Ugandans at Nyekashagazi, 8 at Wankaka and 8 at Kyabalango - all innocent civilians who were trying to flee the war to Buruli. Justice caught up with him as he was taking off to Kampala and the pleasures of the Nile Mansions and the weekend. He thought that it was a picnic to murder Ugandans and come back to his own family and a happy weekend.

As to Ojok’s contribution to the anti-Amin cause, the record should also be set right: Firstly, it was Obote and Ojok, who groomed Amin in the first place, until they quarrelled over the loot of office. Secondly, Amin is no worse than Obote and Ojok. In fact Amin confined his killings to the middle-class only; he never murdered peasants, a job at which Obote and Ojok have more than excelled. Thirdly, in the anti-Amin struggle itself the Obote-Ojok clique, spent more time creating problems for the resistance than assisting it. For instance:

“In the 1972 debacle, the Obote-Ojok mistakes caused the death of 500 anti-Amin fighters between the 17th and 18th of September 1972. After the 1979 fall of Amin, the Obote-Ojok clique nullified the gains of the democratic forces by their plot to usurp power and turned the UNLA into a corrupt, murderous and thieving group that unroofs people’s houses, rapes women and murders numerous civilians.

Again we nave got incontrovertible evidence of this. Therefore, we condemn the role of Oyite-Ojok in the 1966 crisis, in the ensuing tribalisation of Uganda Army before the Amin take over and in the confusion created by Ojok and Obote in the anti-Amin forces in Tanzania between 1971-79. We also condemn his criminal activities ever since l979 illegal recruitments into the UNLA, murders in various parts of Uganda already enumerated above, and the transformation of UNLA from an army of liberation into a repressive and corrupt force.