The story I live to tell

It was one morning of a Thursday in 2001, when I woke up heading to school, and on my way there with other pupils, we were told that the ADF rebels who started their guerilla war in the area in 1996 had raided my village and the entire county of Bunyangabu. I was in primary seven and preparing to seat for my PLE, talk about it, I felt bad but was helpless and had nothing to do. 

We ran direct to school; hardly had we entered the classrooms than we heard thunderous pellets of the famous AK 47 gun, I was flabbergasted and couldn’t stand the loud alarms. Then were called to go for parade by the then Headmaster!

The headmaster was triggered pick as well, and he was quoted saying, “am worried of what am gonna do for all these pupils, where will I hide them”, later on he asked us who resided near the school and within the centre to go home, by the way it was a Thursday and more so a market day, there were however few people in the market, now citizens were scared that some of the people in the market were rebels, and for that matter didn’t we fear passing through the market and that was  the only way through home. 

We were saved by the government’s call it Mamba, and some UPDF soldiers you know what, when they came, we got a sigh of relief, with some hopes that incase of any hick up, they would come to our rescue. Haaah didn’t the ADF start cracking gunshots like as if heaven had fallen onto the earth, wish you were there, man and woman we ran, till no more, and thank God home was near, I got there immediately, but some of our colleagues who were heading to the route where the rebels were, remained at school. My school was one of the targeted areas to be blustered, thank God for the UPDF they won, man those guys were scary. 

Now on getting home, my parents were stranded as well, for our house was near the road and this was the main road, but we were just timid, we had the night there. What amused me was how my fellow Ugandans were running away from the Rwenzori mountains down slope not knowing that they were just falling into the den of loins, ready to eat anyone they came across to. I tell you those guys killed people, if you saw the videos of Kony in Northern Uganda, that’s what transpired in Bunyangabu – Kabarole district on that day.

So terrifying the day was! But nonetheless we managed to survive the brutal massacres, homes were left empty, they killed and abducted whoever they came across to, what pained me most on that day was burning of houses and pounding babies. They burnt over three churches and several houses, wherever they would meet a herd of cows or goats that would be a feast day, they would slaughter, roast and eat, now for them to slaughter they would first breakdown a house since most of the houses in the area are semi permanent such that they can get firewood. The men and women in this force were enraged, for sure I hear they are back, people’s lives have been tarnished and families broken down, whence shall we be one? And work together as children of God, any way where there is a will there is away, one day it shall come to pass. 

All is said and was done, they never survived the UPDF then and they will not today, they were chased up to one crater lake called Kaina, where most of them were killed, the attack never lasted for several days but the pain they left in our homes, are scars of tears that I will live to tell.

Authored by Kabatwairwe Olive.