The second-in-command for the Lords
Resistance Army, when it was doing its worst in Uganda and beyond, is currently
at the Hague facing war crime charges. He is a Ugandan and is charged with
countless heinous crimes against humanity – not just the murderous acts that he
carried out himself, but also the part he played in causing thousands of
children to be abducted, forced to be child soldiers, and brain-washed into
carrying out murderous acts themselves. Add to that the women he raped and the
part he played in causing other to be raped by soldiers acting on orders from
above, and he has a long charge sheet.
The quick response as to whether he is
guilty or not has to be yes – certainly that would be my first response. But
I’ve just been listening to a talk by a remarkable guy called Benson Ocen,
founder and director of I Live Again Uganda, and something he said led me to
think deeper and realise that a guilty charge just isn’t quite so
straightforward.
Benson is from the Acholi tribe and grew up
in northern Uganda, and has had more than his fair share of horrific
experiences due to the Lords Resistance Army. His testimony of forgiveness and
grace is very powerful, and the work that he is heading up through ILA Uganda,
of trauma counseling, discipleship and resettlement is very inspiring to hear
about.
When Benson mentioned about the guy at the
Hague, it wasn’t with bitterness and resentment, despite all that the LRA had
done to his family and those around him as he grew up. Instead Benson reflected
on the fact that the guy was himself an ordinary child, who was cruelly abducted
at a young age, and brainwashed time and again until he no longer was able to
reason rationally, but instead became a killing machine.
When it was put like that, the guilty
charge became less straightforward. Is it he who is guilty of the crimes, or
the soldiers who abducted him and brainwashed him?
If he is charged, then what about all the
other child soldiers, many of whom are trying to carve out a life post-war, and
find some semblance of focus within a community that is often oblivious to
their previous history?
But if he is not charged, due to his ‘state
of mind’ then what does that mean for all those who suffered at his hands, and
for whom closure to that part of their life can’t happen until they feel that
justice is done?
I don’t know the answer, and I’m glad I’m
not the one who has to try and work it out. But I do know that the most
powerful part of Benson’s talk this evening was about how an increasing number
of the Acholi are choosing to take the path of forgiveness and grace – of
moving on, rather than looking always backwards.
Oh
how much that attitude is needed in this world; and oh what a privilege it is
to be leading a team of young people as they get a first-hand experience of
that attitude this week – may it pervade their spirit in a really impacting and
life-transforming way.
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