Kony’s eldest son killed
LRA rebel chief of staff Maj. Gen. Lakati has died from bullet wounds he sustained in a clash with the UPDF. He was ranked fourth in the LRA.
By Emmy Allio
LRA rebel chief of staff Maj. Gen. Lakati has died from bullet wounds he sustained in a clash with the UPDF. He was ranked fourth in the LRA.
Also killed in the clash mid-last month in Beyogoya-Palabek was the eldest son of rebel leader Joseph Kony, Ali Kony, the army said yesterday.
It is not known how old Ali Kony was but Kony fathered his children during his 19-year-long war.
Under Lakati’s command, many people in northern Uganda died and thousands of children were abducted and driven into slavery or just starved to death.
“We knew Lakati and Ali were missing in action. Now we wish to confirm that the butcher of the people of the north has died,†Lt. Col. Shaban Bantariza said yesterday.
He said the confirmation follows reports from rebels who surrendered this week. “They told us that both Lakati and Ali died in the Beyogoya clash,†he said.
During the Beyogoya clash, a rebel lieutenant was killed. Guns and bullets were captured.
Lakati was known in LRA circles as a fearless commander, whose consistent raids on Gulu town in 1995/6 marked the peak of the LRA campaign. He was renowned for staging ambushes on buses, including the March 8, 1996 ambush on a convoy on Karuma-Pakwach-Arua road. A total of 12 vehicles were destroyed and about 100 people were killed in the ambush.
Former rebels said Lakati was suffering from HIV/AIDS and had been kept away from the battlefield for nearly two years.
He took over as Kony’s senior security adviser after Brig. Kenneth Banya defected to the UPDF. Sources said Lakati and Ali died after over-bleeding. Bantariza said by the time of his death, he was enroute to Sudan with Kony’s family and essentials being taken to Kony.
Ends
LRA rebel chief of staff Maj. Gen. Lakati has died from bullet wounds he sustained in a clash with the UPDF. He was ranked fourth in the LRA.
Also killed in the clash mid-last month in Beyogoya-Palabek was the eldest son of rebel leader Joseph Kony, Ali Kony, the army said yesterday.
It is not known how old Ali Kony was but Kony fathered his children during his 19-year-long war.
Under Lakati’s command, many people in northern Uganda died and thousands of children were abducted and driven into slavery or just starved to death.
“We knew Lakati and Ali were missing in action. Now we wish to confirm that the butcher of the people of the north has died,†Lt. Col. Shaban Bantariza said yesterday.
He said the confirmation follows reports from rebels who surrendered this week. “They told us that both Lakati and Ali died in the Beyogoya clash,†he said.
During the Beyogoya clash, a rebel lieutenant was killed. Guns and bullets were captured.
Lakati was known in LRA circles as a fearless commander, whose consistent raids on Gulu town in 1995/6 marked the peak of the LRA campaign. He was renowned for staging ambushes on buses, including the March 8, 1996 ambush on a convoy on Karuma-Pakwach-Arua road. A total of 12 vehicles were destroyed and about 100 people were killed in the ambush.
Former rebels said Lakati was suffering from HIV/AIDS and had been kept away from the battlefield for nearly two years.
He took over as Kony’s senior security adviser after Brig. Kenneth Banya defected to the UPDF. Sources said Lakati and Ali died after over-bleeding. Bantariza said by the time of his death, he was enroute to Sudan with Kony’s family and essentials being taken to Kony.
Ends