Arua gunshot victims speak out on shooting

One of the Arua gunshot victims at a hospital in Arua town. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO

What you need to know:

  • Meanwhile in Gulu, Mr Henry Komakech Kilsms, one of the lawyers representing the 32 people arrested, said four of the suspects; Night Asara, Jane Abola, Shaban Atiku and Stephen Gamba are in deep pain following their torture while in custody.

ARUA. Two gunshot victims hospitalised in Arua have been discharged and another pair remains in a private hospital with grave injuries and unable to walk.
In accounts offered to Daily Monitor on Saturday, all the victims said they were shot near the dfcu bank on Arua town’s main street, away from Ediofe Road on which the President’s motorcade was, according to police, stoned.
The bank is about 400 metres away from Pacific Hotel where four lawmakers were violently arrested from.

It remained unclear what triggered security forces, some reported in civilian attire, to shoot randomly at people on the street.

Below, we reproduce victims’ narrative on their shooting.

Isaac Enzama, 50, a resident of Oninia village, Onzoro Parish in Terego County
“I had come to town to transact business of timber. Then when I found the people I came to were for a rally, I decided to go and attend. I later went to Arua Public Primary School side (behind dfcu bank) to bargain with a friend who wanted to buy timber. After that, I heard people passing, and then when I moved near the bank, I saw soldiers shooting people. I started running. When I took one step, I felt my buttock hit by some object. I fell down crying: God help, God help me! Then some nurses helped to transport me to Arua Regional Referral Hospital. I was operated on. On that Monday night, three bullets were removed from my body. The doctors found that part of intestines is ruptured. “From Out-Patients Department, we have been buying drugs and nobody has assisted us. We have spent about Shs200,000.”

Gilbert Eyotre, 23
“It was at around 6.30pm, I had gone to [town to] collect food stuff from my auntie for supper. I found a crowd at OB Plaza on Adumi Road [a few blocks from dfcu bank] and saw people running towards me. Shortly, as I proceeded towards the bank, I saw army men chasing people and shooting. I turned back to run in the corridors of OB Plaza because I thought it was safe. But here the shooting was so serious and people were running [nearly crouched to the ground].
As I struggled to run, I found myself down. I got up to run, but all I could now see was blood. A Good Samaritan then picked me and took me for radiology because there was a lot of bleeding. After 8pm, they referred me to Rhema Hospital. There was serious bleeding from the left arm. At night, I cannot support it with another hand, I have to sleep on the back. I am not certain of how much we will even pay because I am not using insurance.

I was shot from the back and the bullet ripped through the left arm. I was actually lucky that the bullet did not go through my chest. God is great. The bones have been damaged. I was not even part of the crowd that was coming from the rally. I sell clothes in the town as my means of survival to feed the family. It is my relatives who are helping me in the hospital. Although I can move a bit, there is still a lot of pain.”
Mr Mark Abiriga, 32, a resident of Oluodri (6km north of Arua Town).

“The incident got me around dfcu when military police and those in civilian clothes started shooting anyhow. And I was shot on the chest where the bullet passed through. I was taken to Oli Health Centre IV and when my condition worsened, they referred me to Rhema Hospital. My ribs on the left are broken. I feel pain on the chest. Breathing is a problem and they had to put me on Oxygen. It is only today (Saturday) that they removed it. I do not know how much I will pay because the hospital has not yet given us the bill. I even didn’t know why the military men were shooting people like that.”
Meanwhile in Gulu, Mr Henry Komakech Kilsms, one of the lawyers representing the 32 people arrested, said four of the suspects; Night Asara, Jane Abola, Shaban Atiku and Stephen Gamba are in deep pain following their torture while in custody.

Additional reporting by Julius Ocungi.