LRA’s Ongwen fathers child in prison

THE HAGUE- Unlike the Ugandan prison laws that prohibit inmates to exercise their conjugal rights, former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander, Dominic Ongwen, has fathered a child while in detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC), this newspaper can reveal.

According to the LC5 chairman of Gulu District, Mr Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, who visited Ongwen in his tightly guarded detention centre at the weekend along with other officials from Gulu, the former child soldier was last year allowed to sleep with his wife in the ICC jail cells and she has since given birth.

“He (Ongwen) told us that his immediate family is allowed to visit him at the ICC detention centre. His wife has, I think, visited him twice and last year upon visiting him, she went back pregnant and now she has given birth,” Mr Mapenduzi told journalists at the weekend at the Hague.

He added: “The guy is excited to talk about his new baby. ICC allows the detainees to have their conjugal rights.”

The sex of the child was, however, not revealed nor did Mr Mapenduzi reveal which of his wives was allowed into the ICC cells.

This newspaper understands that the court facilitates the immediate family members of Ongwen to travel to the Hague and visit him.

The other officials who visited Ongwen at his detention centre included the Acholi Paramount Chief David Onen Achana II, Archbishop of Gulu Diocese John Baptist Odama and retired bishop of the Diocese of northern Uganda Nelson Onono Onweng.

Mr Mapenduzi also revealed that shortly after Ongwen had been arrested and taken to the ICC in December 2015, he contemplated committing suicide by drinking washing detergent but he did not succeed.

“He said he took a washing detergent because life was not fair since he had been abducted while he was a child and his entire life was in the bush and yet when he managed to escape from Kony, only to end up at the ICC,” he said.

The delegation said Ongwen was able to overcome the suicidal thoughts when a group of clergy visited him in his detention facility at the time and prayed with him.

Narrating how his detention is like, Mr Mapenduzi said the place is in form of an apartment with different rooms with each of the five suspects sleeping in their own separate room.

He added that the heavily guarded detention centre that has about six doors and four security gates, has common rooms where the suspects prepare their meals and others act as sitting rooms.

The delegation said Ongwen prepared for them chicken, pork and rice and that he was very excited to see them.
Ongwen is now expected to start presenting his first defence witness on October 1.

Charges

Ongwen faces 70 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the ICC, which charges he has since denied.
He is accused of unleashing attacks on four camps for displaced people of Pajule, Abok, Lukodi, Odek in Gulu and Oyam districts displaced by the conflict in northern Uganda between July 2002 and December 2005.

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