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The Early Warning Radio Network gives communities in DR Congo and the Central African Republic the ability to report LRA activity to one another. Twice-daily security calls of LRA movement are made through high-frequency, two-way, long-range radios. Reports are transcribed, sent to our experts on the ground, the information is cross-checked, and the data is sent to a variety of sources, including the LRA Crisis Tracker. Below is one such report.

Two people have escaped the LRA in Central African Republic (CAR), including a 24 year old Ugandan male, and the 11 year old son of executed senior LRA commander Otto Agweng.

NZAKO, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. MAY 22ND. A group of eight LRA captives and combatants, tired of their brutal life as a part of the rebel group, made the courageous decision to escape. Their group consisted of eight people, including three children.

Having escaped, the group was ambushed by their former commander Palotaka, along with the remaining members of the group they left. Palotaka managed to capture one of the escaped men, and a child. In the confusion, four members of the escaped group ran and hid in the bush. Two managed a full escape and made it to Nzako, CAR.

Our celebrations of these two escapes are tinged with concern for those who were re-captured by Palotaka, and the vulnerable members of the group still hiding in the bush that we are yet to make contact with.

Nevertheless, Francis – a 24 year old man, held captive for 12 years – and Otem*, an 11 year old boy, born in the bush, are now free. Otem is the son of Otto Agweng, formerly one of the LRA’s top commanders, who was executed by Joseph Kony in January 2013 for alleged adultery. Francis was abducted from northern Uganda in 2002, and will now be able to return home.

The incident, as well as a cause for both concern and celebration, illustrates some interesting things about the current state of the LRA.

Firstly, the eight people who were initially able to escape the LRA were part of a group that was, in recent history, separated into three smaller units, led by three different secondary commanders (of which Palotaka is one). This is typical of the modern LRA, who functions in small, extremely mobile units. They’re able to cover large distances very quickly, as well as take advantage of the porous borders of the region to evade capture. However, it’s also an illustration of the increasingly fragmented nature of the group, which in some cases is enabling defection.

Otem is the son of Otto Agweng. Agweng’s execution last year is in line with the tactics that Kony is using to keep control over his increasingly fragmented forces.  At this point in time, it’s normal for Kony to only allow Ugandan males to have positions of leadership within the LRA, but over the last few years he has been dramatically demoting and even executing the more senior and experienced members of the LRA and promoting the younger Ugandan males that are part of his forces. It’s one way that he emphasises the importance of complete loyalty to him alone, as well as exerts control over his forces through fear.

We know that Otem’s father is no longer alive, and we’re not sure about the welfare of his mother. We also know that he was born in the bush. It means that he’s known no other life than that of a LRA captive, and there’s no family or place for him to ‘return’ to. Stories such as his emphasize the importance of our rehabilitation and reintegration programs, as Otem will need help to be able to live to his full potential within his new community (and will need to be placed somewhere).

The other thing to note is that Francis is a young Ugandan male (he was abducted from the Kitgum region of northern Uganda in 2002). While we equally value all lives of those held captive by the LRA, the defection of a young Uganda male is particularly significant in terms of the health of the rebel group. As Ugandan males are the only people allowed to hold leadership positions within the group, the defection of one deals a particular blow to the strength of the LRA, as it depletes their fighting force and potential leadership pool. This in turn can lead to more defections from women and children.

We are working to try and locate the four escaped members of the group that we are yet to make contact with, in order to bring them out of the bush to safety and help connect them with family tracing and rehabilitation programs.

*Name has been changed for child protection reasons.