Won Nyaci Ebii was a hero, says Lango Cultural Foundation seeking state burial

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LIRA - Lango Cultural Foundation (LCF) has scheduled an emergency cabinet meeting today, November 11, 2025, to organise for the burial of Paramount Chief (Won Nyaci) Yosam Odur Ebii.

Ebii, 99, died yesterday morning at Lira University Hospital, where he had been hospitalised since last week.

Addressing the media yesterday at their offices in Lira, Lango Cultural Foundation, Prime Minister Fredrick Ogwal Oyee said the emergency council meeting will decide on the burial date and other arrangements.

Oyee also revealed that they are co-ordinating with the local governments in Lango region districts to arrange a decent burial for the fallen Chief.

Ogwal added that in line with national and cultural protocol, the foundation had formally informed President Yoweri Museveni about the chief’s death. 

“The passing of our Won Nyaci is an immense loss, not just for the people of Lango, but for the entire nation. He was a pillar of peace, cultural strength and a source of guidance for all. We stand united in this moment of grief, even as we commit to upholding the values he championed,” he added.

A hero and beacon of hope

Foundation speaker Dr Laury Lawrence Ocen called for calm and warned against misinformation that the deceased was a former paramount chief.

“We want to inform the government that Late Yosam Odur Ebii died as the Won Nyaci of Lango. When the confusion erupted among the clan leaders, they went to the State House, where President [Yoweri] Museveni guided that people should mediate or seek legal redress,” Ocen said.

He added that Odur acted as a ‘pacifist’ in building the peace in northern Uganda by restraining the children of Lango not to rebel against the Government and participated in the recruitment of Amuka Militia, which helped clear the Lord's Resistance Movement Army (LRA) rebels from the region.

“Odur did a lot of networking with the civil society organisations and international organisations that participated in the reunion of the clan heads in Lango. He had the good legacy of leadership, unity and resilience,” Ocen said.

Okii Bura clan head Benjamin Okii Apili said they will accord Odur a powerful send-off because he was the hero, a beacon of peace, great inspiration as well as a mentor and a great man who upheld the rule of laws.

The cultural leaders have also suggested that the Government should accord Odur a state Burial because of his significant contribution in rebuilding peace in northern Uganda, among other achievements.

Anthony Olobo Odur, late Paramount Chief Odur's son speaking to the media on Monday at Lira City. (PHOTO BY JOSEPH EKOL)

Anthony Olobo Odur, Odur’s elder son, said his aged father has been in and out of the hospital for some time until Tuesday last week, when he was readmitted to the hospital, where his condition deteriorated, leading to his death.

Eulogies

Leaders from Lango paid tribute to Ebii, describing him as a pillar of peace, a cultural reservoir and a unifying leader who played a vital role in restoring peace in northern Uganda. 

Uganda’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Rebecca Amuge Otengo, remembered the late chief as a peace lover who encouraged the people of Lango to form the Amuka militia group to defend the region against the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. “We shall miss him dearly,” Otengo said. 

Gender minister Betty Amongi said she received news of the chief’s death with profound sadness, recalling their close working relationship that began during her early political career in Apac district. 

“He played a pivotal role in establishing the Lango Cultural Institution and uniting clan leaders to safeguard our heritage,” she said. 

"He initiated several crucial by-laws aimed at combating child marriage, domestic violence and defilement, while also protecting customary land systems through codification of the rights of women and children.”

Eddy Morris Ogweng, a parliamentary aspirant for Lira city west, described the chief’s passing as a great tragedy for the people of Lango. 

“While still alive, he visited Lango sons and daughters in the US and UK and was passionate about promoting peace, unity and the development of our people,” Ogweng said. 

He added that the chief died at a time when the Lango people needed his wisdom most to help consolidate unity and guide the region in building on the gains made under the National Resistance Movement government. Clan leader comments Dickson Ogwang Okul, a clan leader, described the passing of the Paramount Chief as a monumental loss, saying Odur Ebii was “an anchor of history, a repository of tradition and a steadfast symbol of Lango resilience for decades”. 

He called upon the people of Lango, regardless of clan, political affiliation or past disagreements, to stand together in solemn respect. “This is a time for unity, not division. We must honour his memory by demonstrating the peace and solidarity that he, in his own way, strived for,” Okul said. 

Ogwang said Odur Ebii will be remembered as a symbol of peace, unity and cultural pride, whose leadership helped restore dignity and harmony among the people of Lango after years of conflict.