"I was abducted on July 2, 1998 from Pagen parish in northern
Uganda. The rebels came about 6:00 in the morning. I was in our
cassava field, weeding, when about 30 rebels came, all carrying
assault rifles. They had some captives with them, who were carrying
things they had looted, mainly clothes and luggage bags. They
took me from the field, and forced me to join them.
While I was in captivity, the rebels always made us move very
quickly. It was hard to walk in the bush, and my feet became torn
and infected. The rebels never moved in a straight line, and followed
a zigzag pattern. While we were making our way towards Sudan,
the rebels looted many villages. They broke into shops, and we
were made to uproot cassava, and steal pigeon peas, groundnuts
and simsim (sesame) from granaries. The rebels killed abducted
children who could not walk anymore. At Agoro, there was a lot
of killing, because many children could not climb the mountains,
and they were killed. I saw more than ten children killed - some
were shot, others were beaten using clubs, and some were hit on
the back of their heads with axes.
After we crossed into Sudan, I was unable to walk. The rebels
beat me unconscious, and left me for dead. Later, when I regained
consciousness...a Sudanese man came along and rescued me. He built
a fire from logs, and later took me to his home. I was very sick,
and my feet were bleeding and infected. I had already lost all
the toes on my left foot, and two toes from my right foot."
"The man took me to a clinic, where we found five other
abducted children who had also escaped. We were all transferred
to an SPLA (Sudanese People's Liberation Army) camp, where we
received medical treatment. The SPLA army later communicated to
Uganda, and UPDF (Ugandan Peoples' Defense Forces) soldiers came
and collected us and brought us to Kitgum. I was kept in a UPDF
hospital for two more months, before being taken to the KICWA
center.
At the KICWA center, I was given food and clothing, and counseling
from the IRC (International Rescue Committee) staff. We were able
to join in activities like sports and card games, which made me
happy. The IRC staff found my family and took me home to see my
parents, sisters, and brothers. Everyone was so happy to see me,
and I did not want to leave my home again. But I returned to stay
at KICWA until my medical treatment was completed. Then I returned
home to stay. The IRC gave me school supplies and a school uniform
and I was able to sit for my examination in P6 (primary school
level six). I was very happy when I passed the exam, and now I
can join P7. I still sometimes come to KICWA to play with other
children, and to continue with my medical treatment."
