Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
Yoweri Museveni, president of Uganda - Contributed
A newly released film produced by the Sentinel Group has yet again offered evidence that God answers prayer and is able to bring transformation to communities.
The film, entitled An Unconventional War cites the story of the Ugandan Government's 18 year conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). It shows how the tearing down of places in the land consecrated to the powers of darkness, became the turning point in the Government's move to crush the LRA.
The film is graphic in its recording of the brutality meted out to children and adults alike who were the victims of the LRA. The film's producers warn that the graphic images may not suitable for children. The Sentinel Group is headed by George Otis Jr. The organisation describes itself as "a Christian research and information agency dedicated to helping the Church pray knowledgeably for end-time global evangelisation and enabling communities to discover the pathway to genuine revival and societal transformation." It was this organisation that in 2005 produced 'Let the Sea Resound' ? a 79-minute documentary on major soceital transformation that took place in Fiji. (See http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050305/news/news7.html)
An Unconventional War focuses on northern Uganda where the LRA conducted its reign of terror. It is one hour and 40 minutes long, traces the genesis of the conflict to the nation's history of idolatry, superstition, and witchcraft.
theocratic government
The LRA was led by Joseph Kony who was born in 1962. The LRA, was a guerrilla group, that sought to establish a theocratic government and which used violence to advance that cause. It began its rebellion in 1987.
Kony, a high school drop out, took up the mantle of his mentor, Alice Lakwena, who was the daughter of a notorious witchdoctor and cult leader. Alice herself became a cult leader and witchdoctor. She assembled a rag tag band that nearly overthrew the Ugandan Government. After her defeat, Kony took over and formed the LRA and so began one of the darkest chapter of Ugandan history.
The LRA sought to abduct children, boys and girls alike, from as young as 10 up to their teens. The girls became the sex slaves of LRA commanders. The boys were trained to become killing machines. The boys were taught how to kill, loot, and a range of wicket and evil acts. The more excessive the boys were, the more they were regarded as loyal. The boys were made to attack and kill even their own family members.
Kony and his leaders, kept the children in line by practising cannibalism, rape, maiming and murder.
Kony reputedly had 54 'wives' with whom he fathered many children. The film discloses that he was so brutal that he was known to kill at least three of his 'wives' and 28 of his children. He would also kill even LRA commanders who challenged his authority or directives.
A critical stage in the conflict with the LRA came when those guerrillas abducted 139 girls from St. Mary's College, a Roman Catholic operated boarding school in a community called Abuca. The day after the kidnapping, a nun from the school walked several miles to get to speak with the captors. She spoke with the commander who after much pleading decided to release 109 of the girls. Those parents whose daughters were not released bandied together.
A prayer movement was birthed. Many in the nation went on fasting and prayer.
Recognising that the powers of darkness were in firm control above the Nile area, prayers were directed toward the breaking of that stronghold. Not long after, in what was seen as an answer to prayer, the Government of Sudan opened its borders to allow the Ugandan Army to pursue the LRA there. But after three months of chasing the LRA in Sudan, things got worse. The abductions skyrocketed.
The nation's pastors were mobilised there was dialogue with the army and churches. They agreed to work together in what became known as Operation Gideon.
idolatry and witchcraft
Christians fasted for a month, while army did the work. Christians packed the stadium and prayed. Church leaders, led by Rev. Julius Oyet, of Life Line Ministries, urged the people to repent of their embrace of idolatry and witchcraft. As he did so, the people started to throw on the platform, various trinkets, and charms. Many, the narrators, said gave their hearts to Christ.
The stadium prayer rally was big news. It reached the ears of Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, was in a nearby town to conduct an assault on the LRA. He invited Rev. Oyet and other church leaders to visit with him. Rev. Oyet and company, outlined to the president in the presence of his top brass military leaders, the nation's history of spiritual bondage, idolatry and witchcraft and pointed out that these forces were protecting Kony and the LRA. The president asked what must then be done. Oyet told him, that there were a number o consecrated to the devil, established in northern Uganda where Kony went periodically to replenish his occultic powers. Thes he told the president, must be destroyed and that area consecrated to the Lord.
The president ordered that the church leaders along with a band of prayer warriors, be escorted to the sites of thes for them to be destroyed. This was done. The film shows the Rev. Oyet and others praying and destroying three of thes There were four major places wher were established - water spots (rivers, creeks etc.,) the forests, on rocks, and on graveyards. The sign of a was usually a clay pot with a long straw like stick in it. Rev. Oyet and his team prayed aloud at each location they went saying the site which was formerly covenanted to the devil has now returned to its rightful owner, the Lord.
feared sites
Some of these sites were feared by many Ugandans, including the soldiers who escorted the church people. Initially some soldiers were afraid to step on a site where a had been established, for they had seen others die instantly when they did so. But on seeing the Christians breaking the curse, and taking authority in the situation, a number of the soldiers right there became born-again believers.
After th were destroyed, the Ugandan Army was seemingly rejuvenated. They went in hot pursuit of the LRA and for the first time since the conflict began, they made serious gains, and they had the guerrillas on the run. The LRA, one Uganda Army commander estimated to have been comprised of about 5,000 whittled away. Today the LRA numbers in the hundreds. They have not disbanded but they are not quite the threat they once were. As the Ugandan army pursued the LRA, many of its rank file members gave themselves up and they also released many of their captives ñ including girls from St.Mary's College.
Kony and his top brass leaders fled to Sudan. An effort is under way to have Kony captured and tried as a war criminal.
families united
The film, narrated by George Otis Jr., shows a couple of families being reunited with the girls of St. Mary's College. Some returning with babies.
After crushing the LRA, the government declared an amnesty for these guerrillas. The film closes with the narrator stating that some of the LRA members have been apologising for the wrongs done to abductees. The documentary shows a man addressing a gathering of young people, apologising to the girls who he raped for what he had done. Similarly, he apologised to the young men that had been brutalised or maimed by him.
The film ends with clips of victims and their parents committing to pursue forgiveness and reconciliation, though hard to achieve without a measure of grace.
EDITOR's NOTE: More information on the Sentinel Group is available at www.transformnations.com or by contacting the offices at Prayer 2000 at (876) 45-3309, (876) 309-9139 or by emailing info@prayer2000.org.Send feedback to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com
Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, looks on during a meeting with a delegation of 160 officials and lawmakers from northern Uganda and representatives of non-governmental organizations in this July 31, 2006 file picture in the Democratic Republic of Congo near the Sudan border. The Lord's Resistance Army was formed from the remnants of a northern Uganda rebellion that began in 1986, after President Yoweri Museveni, a southerner, overthrew a brutal military junta. Rebel leader Joseph Kony mixed northern politics with religious mysticism, declaring himself a Christian prophet fighting to rule the country by the Ten Commandments.
AP
