Ongwen’s grandmother wants trip to The Hague

Ms Anna Angeyo at her home in Coo-rom village in Amuru District. photo by Julius Ocungi

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Complaint. Ms Anna Angeyo says her wish had been to meet her grandchild before he was handed over to the ICC but she was ignored

AMURU.

The grandmother of a top commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, Dominic Ongwen, has asked government to facilitate her to visit her grandchild facing war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the Netherlands.

Ms Anna Angeyo, 87, the paternal grandmother of Ongwen, is a resident of Coo-rom village, Lamogi Sub- county in Amuru District.

Ongwen, who surrendered early this month in Central African Republic (CAR), was in the dock at the ICC on Monday, where seven counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes were read against him.

Ms Angeyo told Daily Monitor recently that her wish had been to meet her grandchild before he was handed over to the ICC but she was ignored.

“I want to see my grandson and talk to him. I want to ascertain that he is doing fine from where he is being detained. I do not want to die before seeing Ongwen,” Ms Angeyo pleaded.

Mr Christopher Kilama, 30, Ongwen’s brother, said the family would be grateful if government arranges for their grandmother’s travel to The Hague.

“We do not only want to see him in pictures, we want to meet physically and talk to him,” Mr Kilama said.
Ongwen was abducted by the LRA rebels in 1988 when he was 14-years-old. He rose through the ranks to become a senior LRA commander.

Uganda People’s Defence Forces spokesperson, Lt Col Paddy Ankunda recently told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview, that at an appropriate time, Ongwen’s relatives would be able to see him at The Hague.

Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova set the date for Ongwen’s next appearance in court as August 24, when hearings will determine if he should face trial.
Ongwen is the first LRA commander to appear before the ICC.

His extradition came nearly 10 years after he and four other LRA top commanders were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Two of the commanders have since died, leaving only LRA leader Joseph Kony and Okot Odhiambo still at large.