Former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) combatants, including individuals who have returned from the jungles in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR-Congo), are urging President Yoweri Museveni to reconsider resuming peace negotiations with LRA leader Joseph Kony. They specifically request the involvement of former ambassador and northern Uganda pacification minister Betty Atuku Bigombe in brokering the peace talks.
Stella Lanam, a former LRA returnee and Country director of the War Victims Children Networking Organisation based in Gulu city, emphasized the presence of ex-combatants and abducted children still residing in CAR and DR Congo. The former LRA combatants, in a meeting with Betty Bigombe, expressed their hopes for the reinstatement of peace talks with Kony.
Lanam highlighted that children, who were part of LRA combatants before fleeing the main LRA camps years ago, are living independently in various parts of CAR and DR Congo. Seeking forgiveness, James Opira, one of the repatriated ex-LRA combatants, appealed to the Government of Uganda and the people of Acholi to forgive them for the atrocities committed under the command of Joseph Kony.
Acaye, among the 141 ex-LRA returnees being rehabilitated in Gulu city, urged the government to support them and their children’s education after the conclusion of PAX’s one-and-a-half-year support.
Betty Atuku Bigombe encouraged the ex-LRA returnees to organize and voice their concerns to the government. She also urged them to collaborate in establishing the number of abducted children and former combatants still living in different places in CAR or DR Congo and report the information to the government or through her. Bigombe promised to follow up with the government on interventions by the Netherlands-based PAX, particularly regarding support for the education of former LRA returnees and their children born during LRA captivity.
