• Latest
“Ongwen Was a Victim Rather than Perpetrator” – Defence Tells ICC

Ongwen Trial: Witness Tells Court LRA’s Spiritual Code and How ‘Spirits’ Used Kony

7 years ago
PRAU Set to Host 4th National Public Relations Symposium

PRAU Set to Host 4th National Public Relations Symposium

7 hours ago
Finance Ministry Releases Shs17.18 Trillion for First Quarter of FY 2025/26

Finance Ministry Releases Shs17.18 Trillion for First Quarter of FY 2025/26

7 hours ago
Equity Bank Crowned East Africa’s Best at 2025 African Banker Awards

Equity Bank Crowned East Africa’s Best at 2025 African Banker Awards

8 hours ago
Over 100,000 Renewed IDs Ready Ahead of Diaspora Registration – NIRA

Over 100,000 Renewed IDs Ready Ahead of Diaspora Registration – NIRA

16 hours ago
New Creative Generation: UCU Filmmakers Shine at Uganda Film Festival

New Creative Generation: UCU Filmmakers Shine at Uganda Film Festival

16 hours ago
Museveni Commissions Busega Market, Urges Rubaga to Vote Wisely

Museveni Commissions Busega Market, Urges Rubaga to Vote Wisely

16 hours ago
SoftPower News
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
  • Regional
    • Kenya
    • Rwanda
    • Tanzania
    • Burundi
    • South Sudan
    • DR Congo
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Africa
    • Columnists
    • Education
    • Health
      • COVID-19
    • International News
    • News in Pictures
    • OpEd
    • Pearl Of Africa
    • People
    • Politics
    • Special Reports
    • Women
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
  • Regional
    • Kenya
    • Rwanda
    • Tanzania
    • Burundi
    • South Sudan
    • DR Congo
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Africa
    • Columnists
    • Education
    • Health
      • COVID-19
    • International News
    • News in Pictures
    • OpEd
    • Pearl Of Africa
    • People
    • Politics
    • Special Reports
    • Women
No Result
View All Result
SoftPower News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Ongwen Trial: Witness Tells Court LRA’s Spiritual Code and How ‘Spirits’ Used Kony

by Paul Ampurire
October 25, 2018
“Ongwen Was a Victim Rather than Perpetrator” – Defence Tells ICC

Dominic Ongwen at his confirmation of charges hearing at the ICC in 2016.

3
VIEWS

The ongoing trial of former LRA rebel commander, Dominic Ongwen continued in the Hague on Wednesday October 24 as court heard testimony from the sixth defence witness.

The witness was Jackson Acama, a former LRA abductee whose testimony touched prominently on the role of the spiritual aspect in the LRA camp. He told court that Joseph Kony, the leader of the rebel group was often possessed by the spirits and that he (Acama) was responsible for transcribing whatever Kony said while he was under the influence of the so-called spirits.

Related Stories

PRAU Set to Host 4th National Public Relations Symposium

Finance Ministry Releases Shs17.18 Trillion for First Quarter of FY 2025/26

Equity Bank Crowned East Africa’s Best at 2025 African Banker Awards

Acama, a former school teacher who later joined Tito Okello’s UNLA as a coordinator told defence counsel Krispus Ayena that in 1987, the “Holy Spirit mobile forces” currently known as the LRA forcefully took him and others and “conscripted” them into the rebel group.

The witness told court that upon abduction by the LRA rebels, he was given the role of a technician in Yard Koi. He explained that a yard was like a shrine where “god exercises his power”.

The yard, Acama said, was where they “controlled the battle”, “healed the sick”, and that it is where he as a technician controlled enemy firearms during battle by praying for the firearms to fail.

His other role was “clerk to the spirit”. In his testimony, Acama said he was responsible for taking notes of what Kony said when he was possessed by the spirits and would later read the notes back to Kony later on after the spirits left.

He said Kony had several spirits such as “Juma Oris”, “silli selindi”, “who are you” among many others.

The witness said that Kony prophesied about the future and everything happened as he had prophesied.

He described Kony as having been “happy” and “chatty” when he wasn’t possessed by the “holy spirit”.

Acama said that when Kony was possessed, his eyes turned red and he was very serious until the spirits left him. The witness said that as a clerk to the spirits, he kept a notebook with all the instructions of the spirits speaking through Kony but he never saw the spirits himself but he believed that the spirits manifested to Kony.

He said that the LRA rebels followed very strict rules and orders which if violated attracted severe punishment. Among the rules was to obey the 10 commandments. Acama also revealed that praying every day was mandatory in the LRA.

In addition, members of the rebel group were not allowed to smoke or drink. According to Acama, there were rules governing how to conduct oneself in the LRA family as well as during battle. There were also rules regarding abducted girls and women and how to distribute them among soldiers.

He carried out the spiritual related duties for seven years until 1994 when he was promoted to coordinate peace talks between the Ugandan governement and the LRA, Acama said.

Asked by the defence lawyer to talk about the peace talks between the LRA and government of Uganda between 1994 and 1995, the witness said the process was frustrated after they (LRA) refused to “surrender unconditionally” as the government had demanded.

Fillowing the collapse of the peace process, Kony would then declare the resumption of the war. Kony ordered LRA to move to Sudan immediately, the witness said.

In Sudan, he said, the Sudanese governement gave food, sanctuary, military uniforms training and ammunition to the LRA.

The military training occurred in 1997, and that’s when LRA started giving military ranks to the LRA commanders.  The witness confirmed that while there is still military rank and hierarchy in the LRA, Kony is the one receiving orders from the Holy Spirit and issuing those orders to his commanders.

Tags: Dominic OngwenHagueICCJackson AcamaJoseph KonyLRANewsSoft Power NewsspiritsTrialUgandawitness

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Recent Stories

PRAU Set to Host 4th National Public Relations Symposium

Finance Ministry Releases Shs17.18 Trillion for First Quarter of FY 2025/26

Equity Bank Crowned East Africa’s Best at 2025 African Banker Awards

Over 100,000 Renewed IDs Ready Ahead of Diaspora Registration – NIRA

New Creative Generation: UCU Filmmakers Shine at Uganda Film Festival

Museveni Commissions Busega Market, Urges Rubaga to Vote Wisely

Stanbic Bank Ad
SoftPower News Logo

SoftPower News is a subsidiary of SoftPower Communications LLC, a Ugandan digital media group. Keep posted of the latest from Uganda and East Africa.
Plot 4B Malcolm X, Kololo
P.O Box 1497, Kampala - Uganda
Tel: +256-392-001-701
Email: info@softpower.ug

This news site is licenced by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

ADVERTISEMENT
Stanbic Remittance Ad
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Regional
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More

© SoftPower News

error: Content is protected
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
  • Regional
    • Kenya
    • Rwanda
    • Tanzania
    • Burundi
    • South Sudan
    • DR Congo
  • Defence & Security
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Africa
    • Columnists
    • Education
    • Health
      • COVID-19
    • International News
    • News in Pictures
    • OpEd
    • Pearl Of Africa
    • People
    • Politics
    • Special Reports
    • Women

© SoftPower News