Signaller reveals LRA secret codes at Ongwen ICC trial

KAMPALA- A former radio signaller of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels on Monday told the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague how they used secret codes while carrying out their operations to avoid detection.

The witness whose name was withheld but referred to as P-016 for identification purposes in court, was testifying in the ongoing trial one of former LRA commanders Dominic Ongwen who is facing 70 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during the two-decade insurgency in northern Uganda.

In his testimony, the witness told court that radio calls were used to communicate and coordinate the rebel activities in their circles and also to report to their overall leader Joseph Kony. The witness, who testified in his mother language of Acholi, also told court that the LRA safeguarded their communications by using TONFAS.

On being asked by court what TONFAS are, the witness said: “TONFAS is some kind of code. It is like some kind of key.”

He added that the same TONFAS messages were sent through esoteric codes. The witness did not explain what the acronym stood for nor was he asked to.
However, last week, an analyst testified and told court that TONFAS stood for “Time, Operator, Nicknames, Frequency, Address, Security.”

Further, witness P-016 told The Hague-based court that another way the LRA concealed their communications was use of jargon, and he cited several examples.

He said number one meant “death”, number two “signified injuries while panadol meant “somebody escaped” and Waya meant civilians.

The witness also told court that Kony could be identified within their circles as Two Victor.
When asked whether he remembered the call signs accorded to commander Ongwen now on trial, the witness replied: “What I remember was Lima Charlie.”

Upon being asked how LRA fighters received information about operations when they did not have radios, he replied: “When they (commanders and their fighters) are together during the message broadcast, they come close to the radio and listen to what is being said. When people are separated it is communicated to them by word of mouth, not by radio.”