Former LRA abductees in Lango appeal for help

Worried. Lango sub-region has about 7,000 former abductees, many of whom have not received the Amnesty Commission’s package and certificates.

A group of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abductees in Lango sub-region have appealed to the government and donors not to neglect them and their efforts to resettle after years of hopelessness in the bush.

The former abductees under their umbrella organisation, Lango Youth Former Captives/Returnees Association (LYFCA), complained that most of them are in dire need for help, yet the government has done little to facilitate their reintegration into the community.

In a ten-point memorandum to donors and the government during the launch of their organisation at the Lango Cultural Centre on Saturday, the group of about 230 youth said despite being forcefully abducted and conscripted into LRA ranks, the government only offered a resettlement package to a handful of beneficiaries.

The package included mattresses, saucepans and blankets through the Amnesty Commission.

“We have faced neglect and stigmatisation from our own relatives and also the government. Enough is enough, we now ask the government and other partners to intervene and support us,” the memorandum reads in part.

The document further asks for better treatment as many of the ex-captives are poor because they do not have jobs. Besides, they lack the required education to acquire jobs following their prolonged stay under captivity.
Mr Daniel Okello, the chairman of the association, expressed dismay that their members are still being victimised while many of them are also referred to as ‘Kony products’ by virtue of being returnees from the bush.
But the State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Ms Rebecca Otengo, recently said the government has no direct provisions at improving the lives of former abductees apart from rolling out blanket programmes like PRDP, NUSAF and NAADS for the entire region.

The President, during his earlier visits to Lango sub-region, pledged 30 iron sheets to each household as resettlement package for the returnees.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com