Reasons (Why) I Was Compelled To Delve Into This Issue

REASONS [WHY] I WAS COMPELLED TO DELVE INTO THIS ISSUE
2. Looking back… I see unusual perturbations [via communications] which, overtime, I

thought was “beyond meets the eye” – not just usual jokes.
Examples: On the meaning of transitional justice – Ochen’s campaign mantra.

• Year 2015: From nowhere, Victor Ochen goes on talking [that is, communicating to me] about him going about
to make numerous speeches, which, oddly I can’t seem to find scripted version of the talks just so I could get a
better idea of what he is trying to promote so zealously. And this coincided with the time Ongwen’s capture was
making news headlines- and Ochen was supposedly at ICC to air out his opinion on Ongwen – in his capacity as a
survivor and victim’s representative.
• Still, at this time, despite the LAONA Facebook page’s depressing call for people to visit Ochen’s facebook page
and website, I had more critical issues pending, and that needed my attention than getting into the details of
Ochen’s work- which I assumed was his own calling and that it was just a great welcomed development like I had
expressed in my compliments to him – one-on-one.
• However, a quick visit [around Feb/March] of 2015 on Ochen’s website– I picked some key term: “transitional
justice” – which seemed to be Ochen’s keyword in his campaign. In trying to understand clearly what it meant – I
ran into trouble: the trouble of confusion, for I could get any reliable reference notes explaining exactly what
“transitional justice” meant! In fact, Ochen’s explanation [if not understanding] of the term “transitional
justice” [cached copy / highlighted copy] – the only close-to-comprehensive scripted version of his talks I could
find [never mind its on a blog]- raised a red flag. It didn’t seem correct to me– and yet it didn’t seem simple
matter!
OTHER CONTEXT… TAKEN FROM NOV/DEC 2015…
SO WHAT COMPELLED ME TO [NOW IN NOVEMBER 2015] DELVE DEEPER INTO
THE HITHERTO IMPROBABLE QUEST AND TERRITORY…
1. The ever unsettling stories reached is reaching its climax and toll…!
From the breaking news we looked at e.g. BBC(7 January 2015):
 It started with a glance at the newspaper pictures, as I often do… but this time
[unlike ever before], followed by growing curiosity on my side because of the
striking resemblance of the Ongwen’s attire (matches in colors of suit and ties) to
mine.
 Questions on my mind: A joke, or for real (and certain things mere
coincidences)? Plus, the face looked somewhat, though faintly, familiar…
Caption: Ex-LRA commander Dominic Ongwen makes his

My (Caesar Ogole) Photo taken and shared publicly on or around July 3,
first appearance at the ICC
2014
Source: ICC official website.
2. Bad timing?! Or by design?
From the breaking news we looked at e.g. BBC(7 January 2015):
 My interest in the issue grew deeper a little later [around Jan 26 2015] when these pictures surfaced of
Ongwen said to be at ICC … but I held the unsettling curiosity in the cache of my mental memory for the
news coincided with pressing and tough times [of LAONA disturbance] that demanded immediate
attention… until now in early November, 2015.
Caption: Ex-LRA commander Dominic Ongwen My (Caesar Ogole) photo taken and
makes his first appearance at the ICC shared publicly on or around July 3,
Source: ICC official website. 2014
2. Unusually zealous promotion of “nomination” of my former village mate for Nobel

Prize
I call it “unusual” because, on the Facebook page of LAONA – which I very much
sacrificed to found, whoever is administering it was very unkind in her wordings…
REASONS [WHY] I WAS COMPELLED TO DELVE MORE INTO THIS ISSUE
2. Unusual promotion of “nomination” of my former village mate for Nobel Prize
I call it “unusual” because, on the Facebook page of LAONA – which I very much
sacrificed to found, whoever is administering it was very unkind in her wordings…
The strange things are that – it is bad joke – if it was meant to be a joke, really:
• The promotion on the LAONA Facebook Page seemed to have been very personally directed at me who, [like
Ochen], hails from Abia,- more especially at creating some kind of antagonism or inciting me in someway, -
forgetting the unsung struggles some of us have gone through and contributions we have made in the past to
the community (and beyond) despite the limitations. I started voluntarily advocated for improvement of social
welfare of local people and promotion of rights way back as a child through writing essays, church volunteering,
and even giving talks…
• About 8 years ago, I had joked with some [Ugandan] professors who had seemed a huge obstacle that I was
going to win Nobel Prize! [More so, a video I had shared that described how collective intelligence can be
harnessed to solve community daunting challenges talked about Nobel Prize, though with some jokes…].
• In any case, the promotion was misleading since the “50 year secrecy rule” applies when a person is nominated
for Nobel Prize. My response on the page was simply… out of some uncomfortable feeling… Didn’t know exactly
how to respond. It was an embarrassing campaign to some extent, to say the least.
2. Looking back… I see unusual perturbations [via communications] directed towards me

which, overtime [i.e now], I thought was “beyond meets the eye” – not just usual jokes.
Examples:
• Year 2012: Invitation extended by Victor Ochen to me to attend the some conference related to “KONY 2012”.
• I must confess I had little or no knowledge of what they were [going to] talk about as I went solely in courtesy–
the reason I declined to take a front seat [as part of the panel] when Ochen directly [or via one of his Facilitators
…] requested me to join the panel discussion that comprised Ochen himself, Mr. Nobert Mao (then Member of
Parliament of Gulu, Uganda), Milton Allimadi (of NYC’s Blackstar News), Invisible Children officials (who had
created the viral KONY 2012 video, among others.
• This is where we took the photo below - after Ochen’s participation on the panel discussion… “We used to eat
mangoes together…” Ochen joked. “He is going to help us with website development…”, one of Ochen’s
coordinators/friends joked when I said I was from Computer Science background.
Examples:
“transitional justice” meant! In fact, Ochen’s explanation [if not understanding] of the term “transitional justice”
itself – the only close-to-comprehensive scripted version I could find [though on a blog]- raised a red flag. It
didn’t seem correct – and yet it didn’t seem simple matter!
• In about May 2015, I went to top libraries in New York, and I could not find a good reference. One big reference
library had one copy but it was on special use [borrowed] for about one month. They asked me to get back on
June 23 2015. Indeed I went back, I found the one copy by the pioneer of “Transitional Justice” – Ruti Teitel.

Examples: On the meaning of transitional justice – Ochen’s campaign mantra.

“transitional justice” meant! In fact, Ochen’s explanation [if not understanding] of the term “transitional
justice” [cached copy / highlighted copy] – the only close-to-comprehensive scripted version of his talks I could
find [never mind its on a blog]- raised a red flag. It didn’t seem correct to me– and yet it didn’t seem simple
matter!
3. Campaigns do not synchronize… some authority say it is still at test bed; some seem to
be already implementing it; while seem “not ready for unplanned transition”...
• Indeed on Jun 3, 2015, knowing that LAONA forum had people from various expertise, I asked Mr. Dickson
Ogwang, a Ugandan Embassy Official at Washington DC, USA - whose training background is in Law [from
Makerere University, Uganda]… but his response was short of my expectations.
• Earlier, in late May 2015, I had gone to top libraries and bookstores in New York in search for a good book that,
at least, introduces the term “transitional justice” , but I could not find any- at all ! One Big Reference Library
that is supposed to have all [great] books not found elsewhere [told me they] had one copy but it was on special
use [borrowed unusually] for about one month. They asked me to get back on June 23 2015. Indeed I went back,
I found the one copy by the pioneer of “Transitional Justice” – Ruti Teitel. Although I didn’t have the luxury to
read the entire book, I was satisfied with what I read in the introductory section of chapter one, and I
immediately made scan copies of the pages!
• Now I know that when someone talks of transitional justice, I know that what they should ideally be aiming at is
transitioning to…. democracy [according to the textbook by Ruti Teitel]! Yes, democracy ! – a term, which to me,
overtime , doesn’t make much sense – but let’s leave that at that!
• Still confusion seemed to mar the campaigns for “transitional justice”: [examples are available]:
 “War crimes victims need speedy redress, Govt told”-June 18-2015- [Uganda] [cached copy],
 “We Youth Are Not Ready for Unplanned Transition” ]-July-23-2015 - [cached copy]
4. The unsettling Ongwen story keeps popping up… now it is September through
November [2015]. The new claims [of new 60 charges, dropping of plans to try Ongwen
in Uganda, etc], to me, are still irrelevant relative to the question that must first be
addressed: confirmation of the identity of the person in question!
• So why all these campaigns that don’t seem to make sense… ? Why all these coincidences… not only with the
LAONA but almost everywhere else… At a few glances, why does it appear that everyone is kind of after me, if
not following my footsteps…
• Now (in early November 2015) that I have tackled LAONA issues somewhat… let me try to look into what Ochen
is up to in other dimensions… not only his campaign for transitional justice but in relation to the puzzling
Ongwen story…
• So ran the stores again:

o “LRA's Ongwen faces 60 additional charges” [The New Vision – Uganda’s daily- Sep 24, 2015]
o “ICC drops plan to have Ongwen tried in Uganda” –[The New Vision – Uganda’s daily- October 30 2015]
4. Plus, some of us are victims too… and we know and can tell the story just as well or
even better [that is, with objectivity]… while suggesting practical and lasting solutions as
opposed to amassing gains/popularity at the expense of others or preaching other
people’s ideologies that are not applicable to the situations...
• I started school at Abia Primary School in 1998. My first memory of the Kony War goes as far back as 1987[or
1988] while I was at Abia! One day, in the morning, we (me and my siblings) woke up to the news that some
armed group [of unknown size – but a dozen is fair estimate] had robbed a shop at Abia Trading Center at night–
one of the few shops in the village. [Our parents had gone to another distant village for traditional marriage
ceremony – or something of the sort]. In fact, the shop belonged to one of my favorite teachers – who taught me
at Abia Primary School, and her shop/home only half a mile away from ours. The looters scattered torn
scholastic materials [exercise books, pencils], which, by our standards then, were very expensive material –
along the road as they disappeared without into the tiny roads deeper into the villages…
• I remember this particular teacher vividly for, in 1988, she taught us the conversation:
“Three little fishes swam away. The first went to Adwari. The second to Okwang, and the third came
back to me!”
o Which was a slightly modified of the rendition of the standard textbook version:
“Three little fishes swam away. The first went to England. The second to London, and the third came
back to me!”
[Or something of to that effect].
In fact, that was the first time we were being taught the localized rendition. The pupils at Primary Two would laugh
at us [at Primary One] for being local [talking about Okwang, Adwari – neighboring villages – yet they were the
taught and accustomed to the original London, England- or whatever].
even better [that is, with objectivity]… while suggesting practical and lasting solutions …
some of us just thought [that is, took it for granted] that the people (activists, etc) were
doing things the way we looked at it… alas!
• In fact, occasionally, after my Sunday [Catholic] service which was conducted in one of the classrooms, this
teacher, who attended her Sunday Church service at a nearby (Anglican) church in the same school compound, -
would intercept me and my favorite girl-classmate, Acen Ayori [who attended her church] – she would make the
two of us (and sometimes, a few others) recite the conversation (of the Three Little Fishes and other such plays]
as the church-goers and others from nearby Sunday-Club gathering, gathered to watch our performance.
• They would leave contented… talking to themselves, … “otino no dum dumoro” – but we felt shy sometimes
volunteering to perform. To the extent that one day, when we shyly declined to eat slices of pawpaw that the
teacher had brought for all the pupils in appreciation of impressive mastery of the conversation, she had to
order us on the floor for canes … so we swallowed our shyness (rather, the paw-paws)!
• But that we could recite such conversations in English should not be such a great impression, for in our own Leb
Lango, I was taught how to read and write in Leb Lango before I joined primary school. My father had taught me
using that popular book, “Cako Kwan i Leb Lango”, … and towards the end of the book, for thos who can
remember, there is a tongue-twister, that goes:
Bura buto ite bao. Abal bino tic i buc. Abolo ber me acama. Obol obolo cabun i becen!
Which, I would equate, in level of difficulty, to the English language tongue-twister:

Betty bought butter. The butter she bought was bitter. Betty bought better butter, to make the bitter butter
come better.
doing things the way I looked at it (as I am describing here)… alas!
• The gist of the story is, I still have memories dating as far back when my village first heard – yes heard of (and
experienced) the brutality of Kony. In fact, then, we didn’t know it as Kony nor [as] LRA. That time, people called
the group “Ototong” which loosely translates to “people who hack/cut/slash other people”. There is another
term that was used to refer to them, something like, “celil” or “cet ilil” –I don’t remember its origin nor its
meaning. The term/name Kony (and later LRA) became known to us the local community of Abia and
neighboring regions – much much later, perhaps in 90’s. We used to call them “ototong” for years.
• The overlap of attacks by neighboring cattle rustlers (Karamojong) and LRA from then onwards presented all
sorts of problems and confusion. We had to seek refuge for days in the neighboring bushes, villages and later in
the so-called “Internally Displaced People’s” [IDP] camps- which essentially, means people are refugees in their
own regions!
• In 1996, while I was a student at Lango College (Northern Uganda), the LRA raided and abducted students from
Aboke Senior Secondary School (Aboke S.S.S). Aboke S.S.S is a girls’ boarding school which is about 35 miles from
Lango college. Strangely, a number of girls that were abducted were in senior two, the same form I was in then.
One of the girls (Brenda) had attended the same primary school with me at Adyel Primary School, two years
earlier, in Lira- only 2 miles from Lango College.
doing things the way I looked at it (as I am describing here)… alas!
• In 2004, when Kony attacked Abia, killing many people – including my close relatives [including a paternal
Uncle]- I was a student at Makerere University, Kampala– about 300 mile away in the South/Central region of
Uganda.
• The attack took place on Feb 4th 2004. That evening, I was preparing for an end of semester exam for the course
unit, “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence” – an undergraduate Computer Science course unit at Makerere
University. It was after I completed [sitting for] the exam the next day when I heard of the sad news of the Abia
massacre. What would you do if you were me…?

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REASONS [WHY] I WAS COMPELLED TO DELVE INTO THIS ISSUE

2. Looking back… I see unusual perturbations [via communications] which, overtime, I

Examples: On the meaning of transitional justice – Ochen’s campaign mantra.

From the breaking news we looked at e.g. BBC(7 January 2015):

Caption: Ex-LRA commander Dominic Ongwen makes his

2. Bad timing?! Or by design?

From the breaking news we looked at e.g. BBC(7 January 2015):

2. Unusually zealous promotion of “nomination” of my former village mate for Nobel

2. Looking back… I see unusual perturbations [via communications] directed towards me

2. Looking back… I see unusual perturbations [via communications] which, overtime, I

Examples: On the meaning of transitional justice – Ochen’s campaign mantra.

• So ran the stores again:

Which, I would equate, in level of difficulty, to the English language tongue-twister:

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