| NORTHERN
WAR |
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"The
war that has raged for 19 years in Northern Uganda has left its
people battered and bruised, tormented, by grief, despair and
fear. Innocent Civilians have been killed and mutilated. Thousands
have been abducted, tortured and sexually abused.
Many have been forced to commit atrocities or to look on, helpless,
as others are beaten, raped or murdered. Abducted Children are
forced to work as labourers, Soldiers or sex slaves. |
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More
than 1.6 Million people have been forced to leave their homes
and are living in 249 IDP Camps. Deprived of ther means of livelihood,
once proud farmers and their families now depend entirely on the
food they receive in camps for internally dislaced persons (IDP).
Many people have little or no access to proper medical care.
Education has been disrupted. Many Children do not sleep at home
for fear of being abducted. Instead, they walk kilometers at the
end of each day from their villages to the realtive safety of
towns, where they spend nights in public buildings and established
Children Centres. |
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| Since
1986, Northern Uganda has been racked by insurgencies, which have
left ten of thousands of innocent civilians dead, villages completely
burnt down, properties destroyed, and it is estimated that the LRA
rebels have abducted more than 10,000 children between June 2002
and October 2003, up from 101 from 2001. This brought the total
number abducted by the LRA rebels since the start of the conflict
to more than 20,000." |
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| "Night Commuter Children: These are young children ages 5-16 who move daily from villages of 1-17Km every evening to town to find secure shelter to avoid LRA rebel abductions. They do this every evening, and return home in the morning. Since the Northern Uganda Conflict befun 19 years ago 20,000 children have been abducted and thousands killed or died in rebel captivity. Boys are turned into rebel child soldiers and girls sex slaves or wives." |
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| SAD
STORIES OF FORMER ABDUCTED CHILDREN. |
| 'I
was defiled by some older boys when we were being marched
to the rebel camp. Then I was "wife" to one commander,
then another junior commander and then two older soldiers.
I had a child who died when he was a few days old. I was a
slave for 19 months. I do not think I will marry again.' Eighteen-year
old Prossy recalls her kidnapping by rebel group the Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA). |
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Beatrice
16, abducted on July, 23 2003 at alokulom Gulu! |
| I
had just sat for primary Leaving Examinations and was waiting
for my results when I was abducted. We walked for many days.
We mainly carried the rebel’s luggage. There was a lot
of hunger and only cassava was available for eating. We were
beaten all the time for no cause. One day as we crossed River
Pager, a helicopter attacked and we scattered all over the
place. After running for a short distance, I felt tired, raised
my arms and the army rescued me and took me to the barracks. |
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Janet
19, abducted 1998 Pader! |
I
was going home in the evening when I met rebels. They abducted
me and walked for two weeks to Jebilen in the Sudan. Many
Children Died of cold in the mountains, there was nothing
to eat and there were heavy rains all the way. But we were
given food when we arrived. I found many people, about four
brigades. We used to speak in Acholi and Arabic. We would
pray like in a Church and Kony (rebel leader) would also
attend, and also sometimes lead the prayers himself. We
left Jebilen and transferred to Rubanga Tek in 2002. Then
when the soldiers followed us, we went up to the Imatong
Hills. The last year when we were sent to collect firewood,
I escaped with my baby and returned to Uganda. |
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Peter
12, abducted on June 14, 2003 in Katakwi! |
We
were taken to Lango, then to River Agago in Gulu then Kitgum.
Many times we were hungry and would eat only leaves. We
were beaten many times for no cause. |
| One
day fighting started when we were near Kitgum. The army had
attacked, I was shot in the leg and could not run. The army
found me there and took me to Kitgum town in May 2004. |
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