“We have to stick with her”: Meet up with the relatives comprised of Ongwen’s ex lover-spouses

Dilis Abang, Evelyn Aromorach, Agnes Jedoch and you can Scovia Achan was in fact most of the forced to become notorious Lord’s Opposition Army leader Dominic Ongwen’s “wives”. Credit: John Okot.

Whenever Dilis Abang escaped in the Lord’s Opposition Army (LRA) into the 2014, she was initially beat with save. Immediately following getting kept attentive to own a decade from the well known push back classification, she located their own ways household in northern Uganda. When she hugged her mom the very first time during the an effective years, the fresh tears flowed easily. “I felt safe in her own give for the first time”, she recalls.

Abang got only fled untold traumatization. Given that a keen LRA abductee, she ended up being compelled to “marry” a push back soldier titled Dominic Ongwen. She had about three people because of the now infamous frontrunner who had been recently sentenced so you’re able to 25 years getting war criminal activities and criminal activities up against humankind from the Internationally Violent Legal (ICC).

Abang try thrilled are free, however the feeling failed to history a lot of time. One-night because she slept close to their unique college students, she woke with the voice out-of hefty footsteps. Natives got surrounded their own turf-thatched hut. They set flame so you can they and you can shouted expletives.

“Initially I was thinking I became fantasizing,” says Abang. “We began choking due to the fact domestic is actually full of tobacco cigarette. We open the door rapidly to keep my children and you may ran aside”.

Eveyln’s tale

A decade earlier, Evelyn Aromorach had resided thanks to a very equivalent number of events. She is abducted in 1996 by Ongwen himself. She was only 13 years old and you may was a student in the north town of Patiko in the event the LRA combatant grabbed their particular sleeve.

“I informed Ongwen which i would revise my personal buddy there try an unwell individual during the our home, however, the guy purchased you to definitely ‘you simply will not wade anywhere…to any extent further you are element of us’”, she remembers.

Ongwen raped their own making Aromorach his “wife”. She was an LRA attentive for the next 9 many years until, one day, government soldiers ambushed the newest rebels into the Pabwo village. Regarding the attack, she are azingly, a short time after, she heard to the radio that an enthusiastic LRA escapee got recognized the little one who was up coming returned to Aromorach’s mommy. Immediately following pleading that have Ongwen, just who contacted LRA chief Joseph Kony by walkie-talkie, Aromorach premiered.

Their particular members of the family were happier to see their particular. However, such Abang, her invited failed to history enough time. A short time afterwards, she got an ultimatum. “My personal family relations told you I got 2 weeks to find lay to stay just like the us home wasn’t enough having ‘bush people’”, she says.

Almost a decade pursuing the first-time, Aromorach left their house up against her have a tendency to to possess the next time, this time around along with her around three children for the tow.

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Conference the family

In the course of brand new LRA’s one or two-decade insurgency in north Uganda, brand new rebel group try estimated to own abducted to 29,000 college students. He has got normally started put since the baby soldiers otherwise sex slaves. Ongwen himself was initially caught as he was just 9 ages dated.

All these abductees fundamentally escaped or was in fact create but, like Abang and you may Aromorach, was revictimised of the its communities. Former LRA captives keeps confronted several mental health problems and additionally economic problems immediately after making the newest rebel group.

This was Aromorach’s experience immediately after fleeing their unique home into 2nd big date. Consistently, she did strange work in order to survive, impression quit and you may by yourself. Next, for the 2019, she heard you to definitely a location NGO for the Gulu town try training previous LRA abductees for the professional experiences. She enrolled.

And here she found Abang. The very first time, Ongwen’s a couple of previous “wives” you are going to display their enjoy off abduction, injury and rejection by the their own families that have someone who realized precisely. “It absolutely was such as for example appointment their absolutely nothing sibling,” says Aromorach.