By: Charity Akullo
Lira
Bishops under the Lango Inter-Religious Forum have reconciled two cultural factions in the sub-region that had been fighting for 11 years.
The cultural leaders were reunited in a joint prayer led by Rt. Rev. Sanctus Lino Wanok, the Chairperson of Lango Inter-Religious Leaders’ Forum at Margarita Palace Hotel in Lira City.
The leaders of the warring factions are the paramount chief of Lango (Wonyaci) Yosam Ebii Odur and his rival Eng. Dr. Moses Michael Odongo Okune, who was also the Executive Director of Uganda Road Fund.
During the prayer, Rt. Rev. Wanok, who is also the Bishop of Lira Catholic Diocese, read a reconciliatory letter from, Pope Francis, to bring back unity and peace among the conflicting leaders.
Taking the message from Luke 11:9, the Pope, said; “Let us not be afraid to become beggars for peace, joining our sisters and brothers of other religions and all those who do not resign themselves to the inevitability of conflict. I join you in your prayer for the end of war, thanking you from the bottom of my heart for all that you do.”
“It is difficult, but not impossible. It is not impossible for believers, who live the audacity of a hopeful prayer,” he added.
Eng. Dr. Moses Michael Odongo Okune, the paramount chief (Won-nyaci) of Lango under a parallel cultural administration, also called Tekwaro Lango, apologized before the Almighty God before the congregation, and all leaders.
“I would like to inform you all that have opened my heart while searching for peace and unity. I stepped down from the post [throne] of the paramount chief the cultural leaders had entrusted me with just for the sake of peace,” Dr. Okune said.
Eng. Dr. Okune appealed to all who have transgressed to reconcile and forgive willingly. “I don’t have any problem with anyone, and have opened up my heart fully without even judging anyone,” he said.
Robert James Ajal, the Prime Minister for Lango Cultural Foundation under the leadership of Yosam Ebii Odur, said God the Almighty forgives, therefore, human beings who are His creatures should emulate Him.
Ajal commended Dr. Okune for stepping down as the paramount chief for the sake of peace, saying, “A child who comes back home and asks for forgiveness from his elderly is respectful.” Adding that,” I would like to inform you all that we have accepted their apology.”
He asked the other cultural leaders under Lango Cultural Foundation to also ask for forgiveness from Okune’s team, to unify the tribe.
“If there are people amidst us who committed the offense, let’s come out and reconcile with the other party so that we become one body forever and ever,” he added.
Other peace brokers who attended the reconciliatory prayers are; Bishop Emeritus of Lango Diocese, Charles Odur Kami, Bishop Tom Ibrahim Okello of All Nations, and the Regional Assistant to the Mufti Northern Region, Sheik Musa Khalil, among others.
Background
The leadership wrangle for Lango Chiefdom started in August 2013, when the then-Speaker of Lango Cultural Foundation, Wakili Okello, rebelled against Yosam Odur Ebii, the Lango Paramount Chief who was elected by clan leaders in 2003.
Okello organized an election that saw Benjamin Okii emerge as a parallel Paramount Chief with his cabinet. After Okii, another parallel faction led by Charles Olet also emerged. The faction negotiated with Okii’s faction and he was forced to step down in favor of Olet when their cabinet formed a parallel administration.
In 2017, Michael Moses Odongo Okune formed another faction where he reportedly won an election his team had organized. Since 2017 he has been running a parallel cultural administration called Tekwaro Lango, where he was the Paramount Chief.
Peter Okello Oyo, who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs under Yosam Odur administration, initiated the idea of reconciliation, after several years of constant cultural leadership fight.
Okello’s decision came after a cabinet reshuffle by Yosam Odur in October 2023, which also saw him removed from that position.
He then managed to negotiate with Odongo Okune, to merge his cabinet of Tekwaro Lango with that of Lango Cultural Foundation under Yosam Odur for the sake of peace and unity.
Plan to inaugurate new leader
Meanwhile, Yosam Odur Ebii, had earlier in October declared his intention to handover office to a new leader in December 2024.
Odur, 94, has been at the helm of the Lango Cultural Foundation (LCF) for two decades following his uncontested election by the council of Clan heads in 2003 in Apac District.
In his letter dated October 10th, 2023, the Paramount Chief released a transition road map with different frameworks that he believes will foster a smooth transition of power.
“As I present this roadmap, I want to send my sincere appreciation to everyone I worked with during my tenure in service both in government and cultural leadership,” Odur wrote.
In the one-year-long road map, the paramount chief has instructed the electoral body to organize the election of the new paramount chief who will be sworn in and inaugurated in October 2024, ahead of the official handover in December.
The road map also includes tours in all the districts in Lango which will commence in February and end in June 2024. Those expected to grace the tour are; the Kabaka of Buganda and Omukama of Bunyoro to the site where Kabaka Mwanga and his Bunyoro counterpart, Kabalega, were hidden by the people of Lango during their resistance to colonial incursions on their respective Kingdoms.
Odur also plans to make his last visit in his official position as ‘Won Nyaci of Lango’ to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House Entebbe, before handing over instruments of power to his successor.
During the meeting which was led by the Speaker of Lango Cultural Foundation, Benson Dila Oyuku, and attended by dozens of clan leaders from both sides, 21 resolutions were adopted as a working document for the roadmap and the election of a new paramount chief.
It was also resolved that the election of the new paramount chief be held early next year so that, he [new paramount chief] goes together with the current paramount chief on his final tour and get introduced to the people.
