Agency
Forty-six former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) returnees repatriated from South Sudan are set to undergo traditional cleansing rituals as part of efforts to support their reintegration into Acholi communities.
The group, comprising 23 adults (12 women and 11 men) and 23 children, arrived at Gulu Airfield on Monday aboard a chartered aircraft from Wau Town in South Sudan.
Their return came days after they reportedly trekked from Darfur in Sudan before being airlifted to Uganda.
The returnees were received by the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, Maj. Gen. Richard Owili Otto, alongside security officials, local government leaders, religious leaders, and representatives from Ker Kwaro Acholi.
They were later taken to the former SOS Children’s Village in Laroo-Pece Division, where they will undergo rehabilitation and support.
Out of the 46 returnees, five males are nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while one female is from the Central African Republic (CAR).
Gen. Otto also revealed that 20 more groups of LRA defectors are expected to be repatriated to Uganda, although they remain scattered in the Central African Republic. At least 51 former LRA abductees have been repatriated between May and June this year, including 13 mercenaries who fought alongside the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in South Sudan.
