Abok Sub-County Local Government has allocated one acre of land for the development of the Abok Massacre into a tourist site.
On Wednesday this week, Ms. Eunice Ngangeyo, a researcher in the Department of Museum and Monuments in the Ministry of Tourism, visited Abok Sub-County, Oyam District. The site, where over 4000 people were once housed in camps, witnessed a tragic incident on 8th June 2004. A group of 100 LRA army, led by their former commander Dominic Ongwen, killed 25 people, including 5 children, abducted 26 people, and burned 600 huts in the Abok Internally Displaced People camps.
Eunice Ngangeyo, during her visit, revealed that the Ministry of Tourism has officially gazetted the Abok Massacre site and other locations into tourist attractions. With the donated land, construction is set to commence this year, starting with Abok and then expanding to other sites in the Lango sub-region, such as Barlonyo in Ogur Sub-County, Lira District. Barlonyo witnessed a tragic event on 21st February 2004, where a camp with 5,000 people saw 121 individuals killed by a group of 70 LRA soldiers. All these sites are now officially recognized by the Ministry of Tourism.
Phillips Ogile Jakayo, LC 3 Chairperson of Abok Sub-County, Oyam District, welcomed this development, stating that the memorial site would bring hope and solace to LRA war victims in Abok. He also expressed optimism that the tourist site would contribute to boosting revenue for the region.
In May of last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen to 25 years in jail. Ongwen was found guilty of committing crimes in northern Uganda between 2002 and 2005, specifically in Abok, Odek, and Pajule Internally Displaced People camps.
