Arua rioters charged with disturbing peace of the dead

ARUA. Normalcy returned to Arua Town yesterday amid tight security at Bishop Sabino Odoki’s residence and at Ediofe, the seat of Arua Catholic Diocese, the epicentre of the

that left some church property burnt and at least 16 faithful arrested.
Though government had indicated they would not interfere in the affairs of the diocese, by press time yesterday (Friday), police authorities in Arua had finalised plans to charge the 16 suspects arrested after the violence with “disturbing the peace of the dead.”

The Arua District police commander, Mr Jonathan Musinguzi, confirmed to Saturday Monitor that “charges of malicious damage to church property and disturbing the peace of the dead” had been preferred against the suspects.
“They will be tried because we don’t want unlawful situations,” Mr Musinguzi said.
The Internal Affairs state minister, Mr Mario Obiga Kania, who rushed to Arua on Thursday to find solutions to the impasse at Arua Diocese, condemned the clashes and vowed to prosecute the attackers. The minister, who ruled out negotiations on who should be the Arua bishop, also had a series of back-to-back meetings with the warring parties and security leaders in the district in trying to calm the situation.

“Our resolutions are that we condemn the attack on the cathedral and any perpetrators will be prosecuted because this is an issue of law and order,” Mr Kania said.
“Government will not involve itself in any negotiations as to who should be the bishop of Arua Diocese. Ours is law and order,” he added.
The rioters vandalised the presbytery, destroyed other property and torched the makeshift structure for prayer erected outside the cathedral, which is undergoing renovation. The chaos was a burst of seven years of rising tension between some priests, influential laity and the ordinary members of the diocese.

How they started
The clashes began immediately after police, allegedly on the request of Bishop Odoki, whose leadership is under scrutiny, tried to evict relatives and parishioners camped at the graveside of the

something the angry Christians especially the youth, resisted.
By press time yesterday, the suspects were due to appear before Chief Magistrate’s Court in Arua.
The chairperson organising committee for the burial of Bishop Emeritus Drandua, Mr Martin Andua Drani, said “the boys” at the grave site were approved by the committee and they were to complete work at the grave site this Sunday.
“We had always warned that they should not heed to any provocation but maintain law and order. This violence is unsolicited provocation that is uncalled for,” Mr Drani said.
When contacted yesterday, Bishop Odoki said he was unable to speak to Saturday Monitor as he was busy and promised to call back, which he had not yet done by press time.

The security team yesterday summoned some of the Christians, including Fr Nakari Adiga and Fr Caeser Dralega, who were suspended by Bishop Odoki for allegedly being disobedient to the bishop and were not in communion with the church.
A statement from Uganda Episcopal Conference released on Thursday evening read: “...the violent reaction to these events is not consistent with the church’s true image. The bishops, therefore, disassociate themselves from such violent behaviour in the name of the Catholic Church. The church has always used peaceful ways of handling such situations and this is what they are appealing for.”

Calls for calm
Christians on both sides have condemned the violence and called for calm, adding that church issues should not be resolved through violence. Some have accused the police and army of aggravating the problem. More police officers from Kampala have since been deployed in the area.

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