Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has extended a warm welcome to former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) combatants who wish to return home with their families, assuring them of safety and a peaceful reintegration into the community.
“I want to assure our brothers and sisters from the Central African Republic (CAR) that these individuals are our children, our grandchildren, and they will receive all the support they need to lead fulfilling lives in their home country,” she affirmed.
Ms. Nabbanja made these statements during a reception ceremony for the final group of 61 former LRA combatants and their family members, consisting of 15 men, 14 women, and 32 children, who returned from the Central African Republic.
The event took place on Thursday at the Uganda People’s Defence Airbase in Entebbe.
She noted that there are additional groups in Nakasongola who have been in Uganda for two months, awaiting reintegration into the community.
The Ministry for Northern Uganda falls under her office, and she expressed the government’s commitment to using all available resources to ensure their successful reintegration.
Mr. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, revealed that they had 67 people in total, but two parents and their four children chose to remain in the Central African Republic, where the LRA rebel group is believed to be operating.
CAR State Minister Jean Willybiro Sako, responsible for disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and resettlement (DDRR), credited the successful return of the group to the collaborative efforts of both governments, NGOs, and MONUSCO.
This group had been settled in remote and hard-to-reach areas in CAR, surrounded by various armed groups opposing the CAR government.
Mr. Anthony Akol, Chairperson of the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) and Member of Parliament for Kilak North, expressed the joy that the return of the final batch of ex-fighters would bring to their families back home.
Akol, who himself was once abducted by the LRA and spent several months with them, emphasized that over 12,000 children were abducted from the Acholi sub-region during the conflict.
He urged the government to provide skills and training for the ex-combatants as part of their rehabilitation and reintegration process, enabling them to earn a livelihood and escape poverty.
The Lord’s Resistance Army, under the leadership of Joseph Kony, launched a brutal rebellion in northern Uganda over three decades ago, aiming to impose its own interpretation of the Ten Commandments in the region.
This insurgency extended its campaign of terror to multiple countries, resulting in the deaths of more than 100,000 people and the abduction of 60,000 children.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Joseph Kony in 2005 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Kony remains at large.