We have so much to celebrate this week. In addition to Wednesday’s exciting announcement that 26 women and children were released from the LRA, we just received even more news from our staff in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC):
On August 27, 12 more people regained their freedom and escaped LRA captivity!
These men, women and children reportedly managed to escape during a clash with Congolese security forces, who began pursuing their LRA group after they had attacked communities in the area. The clash between the LRA group and the security forces reportedly took place sometime between August 23 and 25, in an area of DRC known as the Bili-Ango-Digba triangle.
The 12 escapees arrived in Digba, DRC on August 27. Ten members of the group were then transported to the town of Ango, DRC, while the other two reportedly remained in Digba, because it is their town of origin.
The group of ten who were transferred to Ango include: two Congolese men, one Congolese woman, one Congolese girl, and two Ugandan women who each escaped with a young boy and girl. The Congolese returnees had all been recently abducted during LRA attacks in the area over the past month. The two Ugandan women, however, were both abducted in 2004 and have spent 10 years in LRA captivity.
Taking into account these two Ugandan women who escaped with this group, the 46 women and children released in August, and this week’s news of the release of 26 women and children captives, there have been 74 women and children freed from long-term LRA captivity over the past 30 days.
Together with you, our staff, and community partners in central and East Africa, we celebrate yet another victory in the mission to bring LRA violence to a permanent end.
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