After 16 years of fighting with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), 33-year old Francis made the choice to come home last month. He surrendered to a local hunter on October 23rd, barefoot in a tattered suit, just 6km away from Obo, CAR. In his hands were an IC-produced defection flier, which he initially held over his head to indicate his choice to leave the LRA.

Invisible Children staff are working at the forefront of the conflict with partners in the region to encourage the peaceful defection of LRA combatants, women, and children. Through messages received from a combination of FM radio programs and defection fliers,  individuals in the LRA are overcoming the fear instilled by top LRA leadership and, slowly but steadily, making the decision to come back home.

We were on site in Obo working with our partners at Radio Zereda the day that Francis came out, and it’s hard to imagine a more rewarding sight. He becomes one of 17 documented returnees to have come out in just the last month, after a prolonged period within the LRA’s ranks.

Despite frequent and often violent LRA attacks that continue in the region, a cautious yet palpable sense of optimism is emerging, through stories like Francis’. It has been a remarkable season for LRA defection already, and we remain hopeful that the best is yet to come.