Grace Matsiko, Irene Nabwire & Oketch Bitek
20 May 2004
Kitgum — The Anglican Bishop, Rt. Rev. Benjamin Ojwang, was on Tuesday evening abducted by LRA rebels. Ojwang was abducted with 11 other people at Mican, about 3km in the outskirts of Kitgum town at around 3:00pm, the army spokesman in the north, Lt. Paddy
Ankunda, said yesterday. The rebels took nine of his goats. "Our patrol unit chased and rescued the bishop, the 11 people and some of the goats. Other goats had been slaughtered," Maj. Shaban Bantariza said later from the military headquarters in Bombo.
Ankunda said the rebels stormed the bishop's residence, took him with the 11 people who are his relatives. He said the rebels looted food and forced the abductees to carry the loot. He said the bishop and the other abductees had moved between five to 10 km away from the scene when the UPDF engaged the rebels.
Military sources said security for the bishop would be beefed up. In an encountered with the LRA on Tuesday morning, the UPDF killed one rebel, captured two and recovered two communication radios, one rifle, an accumulator battery and 90 bullets.
The army also reported that they foiled an attack at an IDP camp at Acet and Lalogi, about 35 km west of Gulu town. Meanwhile, the army has described the rebel raid on Pagak IDP camp in Gulu on Sunday as a revenge attack against women who welcomed Capt. Charles Abora, one of the rebel commanders and his fighters when they surrendered. Of the 22 people massacred, 18 were women.
"Lt. Col. Kwoyelo (one of the rebel commanders) had been given instructions to kill the women for welcoming Capt. Abora home. The women were betrayed by another women in the camp called Acii," Bantariza told The Monitor.
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