Nearly two decades after the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was pushed out of northern Uganda, dozens of former abductees are still finding their way home.
A total of 46 Ugandans formerly associated with the LRA were repatriated from South Sudan and received at Gulu Airfield on Monday morning, June 15th, 2026, in a coordinated operation involving Ugandan and South Sudanese authorities.
The group, which had been living in Darfur, Sudan, after leaving the rebel movement, travelled through Wau Town in South Sudan before being flown to Uganda. They were welcomed by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security Maj Gen Richard Otto, local leaders, and officials from the Office of the Prime Minister.
According to officials, the repatriation was facilitated through cooperation between the governments of Uganda and South Sudan. Maj Gen Otto worked alongside Uganda’s Ambassador to South Sudan, Brig Gen Ronnie Balya, to secure the return of the former abductees, while South Sudanese authorities provided support throughout the operation.
Officials described the exercise as part of ongoing efforts to trace, rescue, and facilitate the return of Ugandans who were forcibly recruited during the LRA insurgency and remained scattered across parts of Central and East Africa long after leaving the rebel group.
Many of the returnees were abducted during the height of the conflict and spent years moving through remote border regions where remnants of the LRA continued to operate following sustained military pressure from regional forces. Some have spent decades away from their families and communities.
Speaking during the reception in Gulu, Maj Gen Otto commended the returnees for choosing to come home and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting their rehabilitation and reintegration.
“We welcome them back home and will continue working to ensure they are reunited with their families and supported as they rebuild their lives,” he said.
The latest group follows the repatriation of another 14 former abductees, including women and children, from Juba earlier this month. In total, more than 70 former abductees and their family members have been returned to Uganda in recent weeks through coordinated regional efforts.
Upon arrival, the returnees are expected to undergo psychosocial counselling, medical assessment, skills training, and community reintegration programmes in Gulu. Government agencies and humanitarian organisations will also assist with family tracing and reconciliation initiatives.
The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, abducted tens of thousands of children and adults during a brutal insurgency that devastated northern Uganda and affected neighbouring countries between the late 1980s and mid 2000s. Victims were often forced into combat, labour, or marriages, while many families spent years searching for missing relatives.
Although the group no longer poses a significant threat inside Uganda, Monday’s homecoming highlights the enduring humanitarian consequences of a conflict that officially faded from the country’s headlines years ago. Across northern Uganda, many families are still waiting for answers about loved ones taken during the war, while others continue to hope for reunions they once thought impossible.
For those arriving in Gulu on Monday, the journey home represents more than a successful repatriation mission. It is the latest chapter in Uganda’s long effort to heal from one of its most painful conflicts, and a reminder that for many survivors and families, the story of the LRA war is still being written.
