Minister Huda Oleru Assures Ex-LRA Returnees Of Continued Government Support

What the report says

Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs Huda Abason Oleru has said the Ugandan government will continue supporting people who were abducted by, or affected by, the former Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency. According to Watchdog Uganda, she made the remarks during a visit to LRA returnees, where she praised their resilience and their efforts to rebuild their lives after captivity.

Oleru urged returnees to make use of government livelihood and income-support initiatives such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga, saying these programmes are meant to help households recover and become self-reliant. She also said the state recognizes the trauma experienced by former abductees and remains committed to their reintegration into communities.

The minister noted that Uganda has received LRA returnees since the late 1990s and early 2000s, with a more formal system developing after the Amnesty Act of 2000. She said reception centres were later established in northern Uganda to help with rehabilitation and reintegration, especially for children and former captives.

Oleru also called on local leaders, cultural figures and religious leaders to help prevent stigma and support healing in communities affected by the conflict. She said the government, the UPDF and other partners would keep supporting efforts to bring back abductees and former fighters from neighbouring countries, including the Central African Republic and South Sudan. A returnee identified as Mr Otto thanked the government and partners for counselling, vocational training and livelihood support, while asking for more help with education, healthcare and small-scale income projects.