“We should instead stick with her”: Meet the members of the family comprised of Ongwen’s ex lover-wives

Dilis Abang, Evelyn Aromorach, Agnes Jedoch and you will Scovia Achan was indeed all the forced to getting well known Lord’s Opposition Military leader Dominic Ongwen’s “wives”. Credit: John Okot.

When Dilis Abang escaped in the Lord’s Resistance Military (LRA) inside 2014, she was initially overcome having recovery. Once getting stored captive to possess a decade by infamous break the rules group, she located her means family when you look at the northern Uganda. When she hugged their own mother for the first time within the a beneficial 10 years, the new tears flowed easily. “I considered safe within her hand for the first time”, she remembers.

Abang had simply fled untold shock. Just like the an enthusiastic LRA abductee, she got forced to “marry” a break the rules soldier entitled Dominic Ongwen. She got about three children from the today well known frontrunner who was has just sentenced so you can 25 years to possess battle criminal activities and you may criminal activities against humankind by Global Violent Judge (ICC).

Abang try overjoyed to-be totally free, nevertheless the impact did not history enough time. One night as she slept alongside their own youngsters, she woke to your voice out of heavy footsteps. Residents got encircled their particular grass-thatched hut. They lay flames so you can they and shouted expletives.

“In the beginning I was thinking I became thinking,” claims Abang. “We first started choking since home is actually loaded with smoking. I established the entranceway very fast to store my family and you may went out”.

Eveyln’s tale

10 years earlier, Evelyn Aromorach had stayed as a result of a highly equivalent band of events. She are abducted during the 1996 of the Ongwen themselves. She was only 13 yrs old and was in the north town of Patiko in the event that LRA fighter grabbed her arm.

“I told Ongwen that we would definitely upgrade my cousin there was an unwell individual on our home, however, he bought one to ‘you simply will not wade anywhere…from now on you may be element of us’”, she recalls.

Ongwen raped their particular making Aromorach their “wife”. She try a keen LRA attentive for another 9 years until, one-day, bodies troops ambushed the brand new rebels inside Pabwo village. From the attack, she is azingly, a few days later, she read into radio you to definitely an LRA escapee had understood the kid who had been following returned to Aromorach’s mommy. Immediately after pleading which have Ongwen, which called LRA leader Joseph Kony of the walkie-talkie, Aromorach was released.

Their own relatives was indeed happier to see her. However, for example Abang, their particular invited don’t last long. A short while afterwards, she got an ultimatum. “My family told you I’d 14 days to find put to remain due to the fact our family house was not adequate to own ‘bush people’”, she claims.

Nearly ten years following first-time, Aromorach kept their house facing their have a tendency to to possess the next time, now together three children when you look at the tow.

Fulfilling your family

In the course of the new LRA’s several-ten years insurgency inside the north Uganda, this new rebel class are estimated to own abducted to 31,000 children. He has got normally come used because kid soldiers otherwise sex submissives. Ongwen themselves was captured when he was just nine ages dated.

Many of these abductees ultimately fled or was in fact put out but, for example Abang and you can Aromorach, was in fact revictimised by the communities. Former LRA captives provides encountered a wide array of psychological state problems as well as monetary troubles immediately following making the brand new break the rules group.

It was Aromorach’s sense once fleeing their unique home to the second day. For a LГ¤nder, die Amerikaner lieben long time, she did unusual operate to thrive, impression given up and you will by yourself. Up coming, when you look at the 2019, she heard one a location NGO within the Gulu urban area is studies previous LRA abductees during the professional feel. She signed up.

That is where she met Abang. For the first time, Ongwen’s a couple former “wives” you can expect to express its event off abduction, traumatization and you may rejection by their own families with somebody who know exactly. “It was such as meeting your nothing aunt,” states Aromorach.