Today In History: Mao survives LRA ambush

Nov 16, 2020

Mao: “At first I thought it was a puncture, then I heard the array of bullets and the smell of gunpowder, and then I knew we had entered an ambush."

LRA rebels with looted property after blowing up a Gateway Bus

Today In History: November 16, 1997

Gulu Municipality MP, Norbert Mao, and Town Treasurer Joseph Opolot were among survivors of an ambush on the Gulu-Kampala road, which left two people injured. The BTC bus was am­bushed midway between two UPDF detaches at Palenga as it headed towards Kampala. Military sources at Bobi said about 500 LRA rebels were on the eastern side of the Gulu - Kampala highway and an­other 200 were on the west­ern flank.

Mao, who was seated in the front passenger seat nearest to the door said: "At first I thought it was a puncture, then I heard the array of bullets and the smell of gunpowder, and then I knew we had entered an ambush. Thereafter, I bent as low as possible because everybody was bending. I don't think there was any space for taking cover."



 The story 

Gulu Municipality MP, Norbert Mao, and Town Treasurer Joseph Opolot were among survivors of an ambush on the Gulu-Kampala road which left two people injured.

The BTC bus was am­bushed midway between two UPDF detaches at Palenga, 12 miles south of Gulu and Bobi, 15 miles south, as it headed towards Kampala.

The 4th Division Intelli­gence Officer, Captain Paul Lokech said a group of nine rebels were on Saturday, sighted between Palenga and Bobi.

Military sources at Bobi say about 500 LRA rebels were on the eastern side of the Gulu - Kampala highway and an­other 200 were on the west­ern flank.

The injured included Mr. Alfred Best Otto, a third year student of Veterinary Medicine at Makerere University, and Geoffrey Komakech.

Otto was shot in the left leg and Komakech got a splinter of an RPG lodged in his finger. Komakech is a pupil of Kisubi Primary School.

A New Vision journalist, Caroline Lamwaka was among 60 survivors.

There was a heavy explosion followed by an array of bullets.

Mao who was seated in the front passenger seat nearest to the door said: "At first I thought it was a puncture, then I heard the array of bullets and the smell of gunpowder, and then I knew we had entered an ambush. Thereafter, I bent as low as possible because everybody was bending. I don't think there was any space for taking cover."

Mao came to Gulu on Friday on a routine consultative meet­ing.

The driver, Medi Sentongo said he saw a bicycle laid as a roadblock on the road, which he bypassed without stopping. Then he saw a flash like that of a camera and heard the explo­sion and he knew the bus had been hit.

The driver steered the vehicle, for about one and a half mile till Bobi, where an army detach is stationed.

UPDF's 9th battalion at Bobi responded immediately, send­ing a Mamba and a "Buffalo" fighter truck and 45 minutes later, a police patrol car from Gulu arrived at the scene. The UPDF at Palenga had already responded.

Both tyres of the bus were deflated. It was towed to the UPDF unit at Bobi. The front left of the vehicle was pock-marked with splinters from the RPG and ridden with bullets and shat­tered with glasses. There was also a bullet hole on the right side of the driver's seat.

Passengers were stranded for two hours, until another bus was brought in from Gulu town to transport them to Kampala.

This is the first time for rebels to ambush vehicles along Gulu - Kampala road in about ten months.

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