Calls for Compensation of War Victims in West Nile Intensify Ahead of Elections
Some of the Arua Konyi war victim members showing bullet wounds they sustained during the LRA insurgency. Photo Credit, Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA CITY – With just nine days to the general elections, demands for the government to compensate war victims in the West Nile region have grown stronger.
Several claimant groups in the region now believe this is the ideal moment for the government to fulfil its promises of compensation, allowing victims to make informed voting decisions in the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for January 15, 2026.
The groups include Kony war victims from Arua and Adjumani; survivors of the Ombaci, Ringili, and Muni massacres; and victims of the West Nile Bank Front rebellions in Yumbe, Koboko, and Maracha, among others.
Speaking to journalists in Arua City on Monday, Richard Andama, the Chairperson of the West Nile Advocacy Network, recalled that compensation issues surfaced repeatedly during President Museveni’s nationwide campaigns.
“We know that since 1979, when President Idi Amin was overthrown, many regimes came and went until 1986. During that period, severe atrocities occurred in West Nile, but regrettably, when the President recently visited the region, no leader raised this critical issue,” Andama said.
“West Nile residents lost relatives, property, livelihoods, and income, everything. The President spent nearly a week here, yet nothing was mentioned. Meanwhile, in Acholi, Lango, and Teso sub-regions, announcements have been made, with Shs80 billion released for cattle restocking.
“In Karamoja, people reminded the President about inclusion in restocking; in Sebei, he also promised five cows per homestead. In Busoga, victims of Alice Lakwena’s ravages were assured compensation,” Andama emphasized.
He added that national compensation programs are ongoing in Rwenzori and Bunyoro sub-regions, alongside initiatives like Emyooga, the Parish Development Model, Youth Livelihood Program, women empowerment schemes, and entrepreneurship support.
“But it is unfortunate and disturbing that West Nile has been excluded from these arrangements,” Andama said.
He highlighted the long-unresolved claims of Kony war victims who lost lives and property along the Karuma-Pakwach road.
Andama, himself a survivor of the Ombaci massacre, noted that victims have been organizing since 2013, writing letters and engaging leaders without success. However, recent directives from the President to the Prime Minister have renewed hope. “I pray they are compensated before the elections,” he appealed.
Veronica Eyotaru, another Ombaci massacre survivor, recounted the horrors of the 1981 killings at Ombaci Mission by soldiers of the Obote II regime.
Eyotaru, who survived three gunshots; one to the head and two to the thigh, said the attack forced her to drop out of Senior 4, shattering her future. “Maybe I would now be someone important in this country,” she said.
A staunch supporter of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Eyotaru urged the government to compensate victims before the elections.
Samuel Ondoma, lawyer for the Arua Kony War Victims Association, thanked President Museveni for his October 27, 2025, directive to the Prime Minister to coordinating with the Attorney General, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, and the Minister for Northern Uganda to address compensation.
“This follows a long struggle by my clients from greater Arua. Since verifying 1,102 members in 2016, no payments have been made, but I am glad the President acted. I thank him and our MPs for their advocacy,” Ondoma said.