Former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) child soldiers have apologized for the heinous crimes they committed against the civilian population in northern Uganda.
United Nations child agency Unicef estimates that over 30,000 children were abducted and recruited as fighters, sex slaves and porters during the two decades LRA led violence which drove close to two million people into Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps (IDPs).
Mr Douglas Olum, the Chairperson of Association of EX- LRA Abductees & Survivors (ALRAS), a group that brings together ex- LRA fighters says they were forcefully abducted and conscripted into the rebel ranks against their will.
Addressing journalists at Northern Uganda Media Club (Numec) on Thursday, Olum said their abductors forced them to torture and kill unarmed civilians.
Olum says they had no option but to obey the orders for fear of being killed.
“If we had not done what the commanders wanted, we would have been dead by now,” said Olum.
“I want to ask everyone to find a space in their hearts and forgive us for what happened in the past,” he added.
Olum was abducted in April 1998 at 12years when he was in Primary Five but he escaped after spending close to seven months in LRA captivity.
He later resumed school and repeated Primary five and went ahead to graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Mass Communication in 2012 from Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono.
Mr Simon Lubangakene, also a former ex- LRA combatant asked for forgiveness saying he is well aware that people are not happy with what transpired during the long LRA protracted war.
Lubangakene said, “Since the government and the war affected communities of Acholi and Lango sub regions have forgiven us for all the wrongs, other Ugandans should embrace the same spirit for the sake of reconciliation.”
Another former LRA child soldier, Mr Michael Toolit says after receiving the amnesty certificate, his main focus now is opening a fresh page in his life as he battles to forget the bad experience he went through after he was abducted.
Toolit says he wants to start a new life and give out the best of what is left in him.
However, they admitted that the main challenge is stigma by communities, something they described as a hindrance to their full recovery from trauma.
Mr Andrew Moses Awany, the acting Gulu Resident District Commissioner (RDC) noted that war is over and that it is now time for forgiveness and rebuilding the lives of those who were affected.
Awany says, “Those who are stigmatizing the former child soldiers should put into consideration the circumstances under which the children ended up in a web of violence in the bush.”
Speaking during the cleansing ceremony of Maj. Gen. Caesar Acellam, the former LRA Field Commander recently at Lagwiny village, Bungatira Sub County in Gulu,‘Brig’ Kenneth Banya admitted that what happened should have not happened in the first place.
He said it not easy to abandon rebellion since it was too risky and it was only God who could relieve you from it.
A trained pilot who joined Kony in the bush, Banya asked for forgiveness and said what transpired during the war was unfortunate.
LRA rebels have been widely accused of carrying out widespread human rights violations, including murder, mass abduction, mutilations, child-sex slavery, and forcing children to participate in hostilities in the affected regions.
2 Comments
James Owic are you crazy? Kicako kwanyo lwak ki i ngomgi nicakke wa i mwaka 1986 ma jo mogo kiboligi i wi karuma. Kec omito neko lwak woko. Jami man obedo yub pa ladit lobo me mayo ngom ongo pwud LRA, jo pa Kony peke do. Jami ma jo ma i lum bene gutimo rac ento man oyomo cwiny ladit lobo.
Ladit Banya in omyero pe ilok dogi kace iryek. In dano ma okwano mony irwom mamalo madaa., Ibedo Ladit dok lawii lweny ma onongo ingeyo maber mada command responsibility malube ki prosecution of warfare. In ki luwoti mukene ma obedo ite lum onongo omyero wun aye utir lweny iyoo matir. can ma kaka onongo bal ne tye iwiwu jo ma onongo wang gi twolo. Pol jami ducu Kony onongo pe ngeyo,Wun aye onongo omyero utir en. Giwek lok eni kubed mot labol ne lwaki dano ma gineko gi ii Lamwoo wun lowii lweny ungeyO tyen lokne maber. Ulanyo Acholi tutwal, dok ukonyo kor lamone mamegwa akonya ki remo wel kaka; en pi tyen lok ma oweko ojolo wun maber ni pien ucobo dong miti mamege. Gin mapire tek Kaka omyero gucak lok ki dwan acel. Pe aneno kaka mo ma tonge ken ken gi kit ma wan Acholi watimo ni. Man lok me lewic madit inyi kaki mukene ma orumu wa. Let this be the first and the last. They say blood is thicker than water.