President Yoweri Museveni is set to award medals to National Resistance Army pioneers and the civilians that participated in defeating the Holy Spirit Movement rebels in 1987.
This year’s Independence Day celebrations slated for Saturday, will take place in Luuka district since it is where the final spine of Alice Auma and her “spiritual” fighters were broken before they later crossed to the neighboring Kenya.
Auma who came to be known as Lakwena launched a war on Museveni’s government in August 1986 just months after the latter took power from Gen. Tito OkelloLutwa. Lakwena was a soldier of Gen. Okello believed to be wielding spiritual powers and after his death the spell migrated to Auma.
According to stories from those who witnessed the 1980s events, the Lakwena movement gained unexpected victories against the NRA forces between October and December 1986 making the rebel group to advance from Acholi to Lango, Teso, Bugishu and later to Busoga.
The HSM got into alliance with the Uganda People’s Democratic Army (UPDA), a rebel movement formed by Gen. Okello soldiers under Odongo Latek who had run to then southern Sudan when NRA quickly captured Acholi land and the whole north.
The two rebel groups however fell out in early 1987 over tactics of operation.
The NRA decisively defeated Lakwena movement around September 1987 with heavy artillery fire forcing Auma and small pockets to flee to Kenya and she was later resettled in a refugee camp.
The NRA’s good relationship with the local population significantly played in the defeat of Lakwena and the UPDA who fell out with the people in Luuka.
Sources in National Awards Chancery and the Office of the President told ChimpReports that NRA veterans and dozens of civilians from Busoga region were identified early this year and are to get their medals on Sunday this week.
“We cannot forget about those who stood with us during the early tough moments. We shall make them smile on Sunday,” a source told this reporter.