The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
This comes months after the Ministry of Defence conducted an assessment of various facilities within Gulu City suitable for rehabilitating ex-LRA fighters who were repatriated from the Central African Republic.
Over 70 former LRA fighters were repatriated by the government from the Central African Republic between July and August this year and have since been under the care of the Ministry of Defence.
State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny said on Thursday that the returnees will be hosted at the former SOS Children’s Village facility in Pece-Laroo Division in Gulu City.
Kwiyucwiny notes that the returnees who include Congolese Nationals are currently being kept at Migyera Town Council in Nakasongola district before being brought to Gulu to start the process of rehabilitation on December 21 this year.
She says the returnees will receive counseling and training adding that at an appropriate time, they will be allowed to leave the center and reintegrate with the community.
According to Kwiyucwiny, they expect the Ministry of Defence to hand over the returnees to the Office of the Prime Minister next week to take over the management of the returnees’ rehabilitation and resettlement plans.
Brig. Felix Kulaigye, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Spokesperson told Uganda Radio Network on Friday that a total of 68 former LRA fighters are currently being hosted in Migyera Town Council as part of the rehabilitation journey undertaken by the government.
Pece-Laroo Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner Peter Banya however called on the community members in the area where the returnees will be rehabilitated to avoid stigmatizing the former LRA fighters.
He said the majority of the returnees had denounced war and were already granted amnesty by the government but needed more time to be rehabilitated before being resettled.
“People should not fear them and more so avoid stigmatizing them. These returnees still suffer from trauma as a result of their stay in Captivity and this is why they need time for rehabilitation before reintegrating with their families.” Says Banya.
In July this year, the family members of LRA commander Joseph Kony including his son Ali Saloongo Kony, former “wife”, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren returned home after defecting from the Central African Republic.
Speaking to URN in an earlier interview Ali noted that the elusive LRA leader had by July 2021 about 100 fighters with him including young children and women.
The LRA waged a two-decade brutal rebellion campaign against President Yoweri Museveni‘s government that left hundreds of thousands dead, about 1.5 million displaced, and forced abductions of minors and adults in Northern Uganda.
