State Minister for Defense, Oleru Huda Abason, who was the chief guest, promised Olango that she would pursue his request by consulting with the Ministry of Public Service to determine if his age would allow him to be reenrolled.
As the two-hour video played, some lawyers from both the Defense and the State were seen leaving the bar and stepping outside the court to control their emotions after seeing scenes that included roasting of human body parts and bodies of babies apparently cut out of pregnant mothers
Ongwen who made submissions at The Hague based court on Thursday during a mitigation session of his case noted that for 27 years since his abduction as a child by the LRA rebels, he lived in prison in captivity.
Ongwen who commanded the LRA’s Sinia Brigade was found guilty of 61 out of the 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for which he faced a trial before the International Criminal Court.
Their fears have been compounded by stringent directives by the government that have since seen a ban on public transport, monthly markets, bars, and shops selling non-food items among others. These were some of the measures taken by the government to control the spread of the disease which has so far killed 42,361 people across the world. At least 44 people have so far tested positive for the deadly disease in Uganda.
The two reportedly collected between 40,000 and 100,000 Shillings from their victims as transport and registration fees to help them benefit from a resettlement package in which each of them was expected to receive at least 2.5 million Shillings to help them engage in gainful livelihoods and facilitate their reintegration within their respective communities.
The victims say the war has greatly affected their social lives, even more than a decade after guns fell silent with majority citing trauma as the biggest challenges they continue to battle.
“The Commission provided reintegration assistance to 338 reporters who were waiting for reinsertion support in communities. Six of them from DRC, 40 from Kiryandongo, 112 from Gulu, 29 from Kasese, 126 from Kitgum and 25 from the Central region” the report states in part.
Florence Akello, an Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions told the panel of judges of the International Crimes Division of the High Court (ICD) that the directorate will adduce the necessary incriminating evidence to convict Kwoyelo of the serious offences.
