UGANDA

One comprehensive account of the Teso War is provided in the book Teso
War: Causes and Consequences, by Professor Justin Epelu-Opio. The book
covers the war from an eye-witness perspective. He hails from the region
and was instrumental in bringing peace as the head of the Presidential
Committee on Teso for Peace. He kindly provided RLP with a number of
extracts from his book for the Compendium’s enrichment. The following
is based on Epelu-Opio’s account of Government protection against, and
collaboration with the Karimojong cattle raiders, and the role this played
in the upsurge of rebellion.
In Teso, one of the first NRA/NRM administrators, the Resident District
Commissioner (formerly Special District Administrator), made insinuating
remarks to the people. He was quoted to have said that “the strength of
the Teso people is cattle and so when these animals have been removed
then the region would be rendered poor”.
During the Okello junta regime, cattle raiding had become institutionalised.
The regime did not check the behaviour of the Karimojong raiders. It was
alleged that the Okello regime operated in a spirit of revenge, because the
Iteso were considered to have been favoured in the military under Obote.
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr. P. Otai, the and Deputy Minister of
Internal Affairs, Col. W. Omaria, were both Iteso. When the NRA took over
power in early 1986, cattle rustling by the Karimojong ceased instantly
because the Government took tough measures against the raiders. The
NRA was received with ululation in Teso.
But the jubilation by the Iteso was shortlived. Remnants of the UNLA
staged war against the NRA in northern Uganda shortly after they had
come to power. This resulted in the NRA redeploying the militia from Iteso,
where they were protecting against Karimojong raiders, to the North. A
vacuum was again created in Teso. The Karimojong started raiding cattle
deep into Teso and beyond to Pallisa. For the first time the rustlers reached
deep into Kaberamaido and all the villages of Teso. Thus, the Teso people
came to blame both the Okello and NRA regime for conniving with the
Karimojong.
The NRA was too thin on the ground to contain the Karimojong raids and
the Government was blamed by Teso people for neglecting the region.
As a result, the Teso youth, deserters from the UNLA, police, prisons and
the disbanded Special Force formed a fighting force against the NRA/NRM
Government late 1986.
The decision to fight the Okello Junta had apparently been made already
in late 1985. The entry in power of the NRA accelerated the formation of
FOBA and the 9th October Movement, with the aim of returning Obote to
power. These groups were later followed by the UPF/UPA, which received
political backing by prominent Teso politicians and some military officers.
Disagreements among four prominent Teso political leaders in exile caused
problems in the operations of UPA. This was aggravated by the regional
rifts among the fighters of the UPA. The group eventually succumbed and
crumbled in 1992.
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EASTERN CONFLICTS