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STORIES AS TOLD BY WAR VICTIMS
APIO BRIDGET
Bridget Apio is a beautiful girl from Ogur sub-county located in Lira district. She was captured on 29th March 2003 in their homeland. Here is her ordeal .On the 29th day of March 2003, “I was captured by LRA rebels from Ogur sub-county and was taken to Sudan. We were constantly moving both during the day and night and was I arrested without my parents and I never knew my parent’s where about and vice versa, I stayed in the bush under the command of the rebels for 3years and from there we were taught how to use and shoot at something or someone using a gun and we were given very heavy loads of luggage to carry. when I had stayed in the bush for one and a half years, I was given to the commander and some women whose work were to keep us and ensure we did not escape, and from there we were taken to Garamba forest and clothes were given to us after every two weeks. They gave us (the Acholi and Lango) a two week ultimatum to learn Kiswahili and Acholi. Those who failed to learn were killed. On 10th January 2005, UPDF soldiers stormed the rebels and we ran to them for rescue. Lucky enough, among the soldiers was a Lango who started asking us where we came from. From there we were taken to the army barrack and kept up to the 14th January 2005, we were taken to Gulu in May of that very year, we were brought back to Lira and we stayed for one week and they started tracing our parents. Fortunately enough, my parents were got and they handed me over to them. I was taken and started my primary education from Ogur Primary School from that time; I have continued to live in misery because I was rapped and I was the wife to Kony
I did not get pregnant I thank my God for that.

ACEN AGNESS
“My two years was not an easy one I had just finished my third term and passed highly and everyone in the family was very proud of me being born to a single mother and four boys life was at its best ends that day mother bought for me very nice readymade dress”. By the time of her abductions by the Lord Resistance Army, Agnes was 12years. She was at their home in Apala and from there my mother and four of her brothers were killed as she saw three and she killed one, she was taken to the bush. From the bush she underwent vigorous training as a soldier where she killed many people as a practical aspect of her training. “I finished the training and started the task assigned to me” I was given a group of young people to lead our major task was to add more members in our group and orders were given to me to kill all that refused to join us. When I was 16 years it a Friday evening, Joseph Kony came in our camp and ordered all the girls to be brought out and lined up outside. When he moved among us, he sighted me he came to me and said I was the best match for him he I couldn’t believe I would marry the warlord the man who killed very many souls, a man who has committed very many abominable acts. I tried to reject but he told me that the big man is always right “I have said and “remember anyone who tries to talk back at me is rewarded with copper bullets or clubs” Kony added. I had no option but to accept his forceful advancement.
Kony gave me a bodyguard to look after me and warned him that if I escaped he would kill him, that evening Kony  raped me and I sustained several injuries but it healed, little did I know I was pregnant, two month after I started seeing signs of pregnancy when I told Kony about the signs he was very happy. to me tears covered my face my future was nowhere I was the mother of a rebel. That day he called for a party where all the rebels and Kony’s wives were all invited. I was very annoyed and never wanted to see Kony, he was a beast indeed. As he spoke he called me to come out from the crowd of his wives and introduced me to everyone as his wife of which I tried refuting but it was late the life in the bush was a gruesome and painful. As time passed, I delivered twins and this made Kony even happier and continued loving me. I tried escaping very many times but the security was very tight  and the babies were not willing to be silent. In 2004 my dreams of escaping came true as the government Army arrested me where I re-united with my family members. I loved the fact that my community members supported me and here I am moving on with life.

AYAO JOAN
I was abducted from my home in Aromo in 1999 when I was just 17years seeing the killing of very many innocent souls. When we were leaving Aromo I was forced to carry tones of luggage and anyone who said he/she was tired was given rest at instant by either shooting or smashing the head. We were beaten for every small mistake made I remember when I fell down with the laguage the soldier vigorously hacked my shoulder with a panga sustaining multiple injuries “in the bush you should be disciplined and if you do something bad no one would stand to defend you”. I stayed in the bush for 5 years before finding an escape plan. from the bush all I did was nasty and horrifying things I remember one day I was made to cut an old man’s ears but I prayed to God not to make the soldiers order me to kill him because of the terms they levied on me I feared to die I cut the old man’s ears. I became a sex slave and I had to forcefully satisfy the sexual feeling of all the rebels “they came and forced me to have sex when they were in need” I couldn’t refuse because they would kill me. I remember one day as one of the rebels was raping me I grabbed his testicle and almost killed him and in retaliation he cut of my lower lips. When I came back home everyone regarded me as a rebel they literally ran on seeing me. Up to now my life has never been an easy one I barely associate with people because I cannot control my saliva it’s ever dripping.

OKELLO LAMECK
The year 2004 has been a year that I will never forget we were captured and several sacks of cassava were there for the rebels’ supper, girls were peeling the tubers with sticks lashing them. I was sent to go and carry cooking stones and firewood when I brought the stones they sent me back to go and collect the firewood as I was carrying the log one rebel came to me and ordered me to put down the logs and told me to remove my trousers, at first I thought they were not to something in fears I removed it, the rebels started having anal sex with me I felt his penis enter into my anus .he sodomized me for a long time not until I fainted, after one year, pus started coming out from the anus profusely. These gave me hard time, when I went back home, I did not tell anyone my story for fear of stigma. Two years after these the bleeding became intense and I couldn’t retain faeces I had to put on napkins to at least soak the faeces, I even feared to go to the hospital, these followed by swelling of my stomach and later I was taken to the hospital where reconstructive surgery was conducted and now I feel somehow fine I even didn’t tell the doctor what happened.

Voor vervolg zie: THE MASSACRES THAT HAPPENED IN NORTHERN UGANDA