The ‘New Vision’ and Oloya misquoted Otunnu!
Sep 09, 2006
SIR — I write in response to your editorial of September 5, entitled “Be honest Otunnuâ€. You claim in the editorial that “speaking at the Uganda North American Association convention in New York, the former diplomat (Olara Otunnu) alleged that there was a secret alliance between the governme
SIR — I write in response to your editorial of September 5, entitled “Be honest Otunnuâ€. You claim in the editorial that “speaking at the Uganda North American Association convention in New York, the former diplomat (Olara Otunnu) alleged that there was a secret alliance between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army to commit genocide in Acholiâ€.
What Olara Otunnu actually said was: “It’s clear that this is a war of convenience. It’s clear that the LRA factor and presence have been finickly manipulated to divert attention from the genocide unfolding in the concentration camps and other atrocities being committed by the government itself. In effect, objectively, LRA and the Museveni’s regime are allies. It’s instructive that in this war the UPDF and LRA have rarely engaged each other while both commit depredations on the
civilian populationâ€.
I note with deep regret that a similar claim to the one that appeared in your editorial was made by Mr Opiyo Oloya in an article he published in The New Vision of September 4 entitled “Otunnu alleges LRA
secret allianceâ€.
I have great respect for Mr Opiyo Oloya. He is a person I consider to be both decent and honourable. On this occasion, however, he inexplicably got the facts completely wrong when he wrote that: “In an explosive session before a larger than average crowd at the UNAA Convention in New York, former UN Under Secretary General for children Olara Otunnu, on Sunday accused LRA of having been in a secret alliance with the Government to commit deliberate genocide against the people of northern Ugandaâ€.
Ochoro E. Otunnu
New York
What Olara Otunnu actually said was: “It’s clear that this is a war of convenience. It’s clear that the LRA factor and presence have been finickly manipulated to divert attention from the genocide unfolding in the concentration camps and other atrocities being committed by the government itself. In effect, objectively, LRA and the Museveni’s regime are allies. It’s instructive that in this war the UPDF and LRA have rarely engaged each other while both commit depredations on the
civilian populationâ€.
I note with deep regret that a similar claim to the one that appeared in your editorial was made by Mr Opiyo Oloya in an article he published in The New Vision of September 4 entitled “Otunnu alleges LRA
secret allianceâ€.
I have great respect for Mr Opiyo Oloya. He is a person I consider to be both decent and honourable. On this occasion, however, he inexplicably got the facts completely wrong when he wrote that: “In an explosive session before a larger than average crowd at the UNAA Convention in New York, former UN Under Secretary General for children Olara Otunnu, on Sunday accused LRA of having been in a secret alliance with the Government to commit deliberate genocide against the people of northern Ugandaâ€.
Ochoro E. Otunnu
New York