Single phone call facilitates return of LRA abductees

A recent defection of twelve individuals from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), including eight men, four women, and two children born in captivity, was facilitated by a crucial phone call from within the bush.

‘Major’ George Olobo, an LRA commander, contacted Acholi cultural leaders, expressing their group’s desire to leave the rebel ranks. This outreach, initiated in late 2023, sparked a series of negotiations involving Ugandan security agencies and their counterparts in South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

In April 2026, cultural institution representative Alex Oyet and Rwot Charles Onama of Pajimo Chiefdom traveled to Juba, South Sudan, to finalize the return of the defectors. The collaborative efforts of Ugandan and South Sudanese security forces were instrumental in easing the repatriation process.

This latest group arrived in Gulu City on June 5, 2026, and were received at a rehabilitation center run by Terra Renaissance. They had escaped from an LRA camp in the Central African Republic and made their way to Juba. This brings the total number of LRA defectors repatriated in the past three weeks to 19.

Ugandan security agencies have reported that since January 2026, eight women, some identified as ‘wives’ of LRA leader Joseph Kony, and thirteen combatants have returned to Uganda. A week prior, two young women, believed to be Kony’s wives, and their three children were repatriated from the Central African Republic.

The returning individuals will undergo rehabilitation and skills training provided by Terra Renaissance in partnership with government agencies. This process, aimed at helping them reintegrate into society, is expected to take between one and a half to two years, addressing immediate needs such as family reunion and medical care.

Source: https://www.monitor.ug/uganda/news/national/how-one-phone-call-led-to-return-of-lra-abductees-5488566