According to the study, 55.7% of the people who spent between 1 to 3 years in captivity returned home but were never resettled. The study was conducted between August 2019 and July 2020 in Omoro, Pader, Amuru, Nwoya and Agago district in Acholi Sub Region, which suffered the brunt of the Insurgency.
Hundreds of people in Northern Uganda who returned from
captivity by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army-LRA are yet to resettle and integrate
in their community, a study by the Acholi Religious Peace Initiative has
revealed.
According to the study, 55.7% of the people who spent
between 1 to 3 years in captivity returned home but were never resettled. The
study was conducted between August 2019 and July 2020 in Omoro, Pader, Amuru,
Nwoya and Agago district in Acholi Sub Region, which suffered the brunt of the
Insurgency.
The study points out some of the key factors that hindered
the resettlement and integration of the affected people as land conflicts,
stigmatization, hatred, discrimination and social exclusion. Dr. Daniel
Komakech, the lead Researcher and Director Institute of Research and Graduates
Studies at Gulu University, says many of the returnees failed to locate their
ancestral homes.
Komakech explained that the plan for the resettlement only
looked at the pre-conflict situation that left out proper handling of the conflicts
that emerged later.
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Moses Ogwang, a Police Liaison Community Officer in Gulu, says many of the
returnees have been dragged to police by members of the public mostly on crimes
they have not committed.
Rev. Norah Omona, the representative of women in the Diocese
of Northern, Uganda appealed to the community to accept integration as parts of the peacebuilding process in the region.
Francis Lukwiya, the Secretary-General Acholi Religious Peace Initiative explained
that even the returnees who were resettled met new challenges back home, which forced
many to relocate to other areas.
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Evelyn Amony one of the returnees and the founder of Women Advocacy Network
told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that only 20 percent of the 980
returnees supported by the organization were embraced by their communities. She
appealed to the government to include resettlement and integration in the peace
processes and recovery in the region.
The over two decade’s insurgency in the region led by Joseph Kony is reported
to have claimed the lives of over 100,000 people, 100,000 children were
abducted while 2.5 million people were displaced with wanton destruction of
property.
Simon Wokorach
Freelancer