Late last month, Invisible Children received encouraging news from Kiliwa, DRC that eight individuals were released from LRA captivity.
The incident: On August 21st, a group of fishermen were met by three armed LRA fighters just east of Kiliwa, DRC. The fishermen were led to the bush to meet with five women and three boys who were being held by the LRA and were asked to bring the captives to the local chief so they could be cared for.
The fighters then accompanied the fishermen, women and children on the 6 km journey to Kiliwa, DRC. Before finally leaving them, the fighters asked the fishermen what would happen to them if they were to surrender. The fishermen assured them they would be accepted into the community without harm.
What does this mean?: First and foremost, for eight individuals the war is finally over. Beyond that, though, the release of these individuals is very encouraging for two main reasons:
Reason #1: This story highlights the importance of community-led initiatives to bring peace. A major risk facing LRA fighters who escape is how a community will respond when they surrender. After more than seven years of LRA attacks, communities in the Central African Republic and DR Congo are very fearful. So when fighters enter a community genuinely looking for relief and safety, they have been rejected or – occasionally – harmed. To combat this, Invisible Children funds Community Defection Committees (CDCs), which aim to eliminate this misconception by training community members on how to safely encourage and accept surrenders, just like these three brave fisherman did.
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Community Defection Committees in central Africa
Reason #2: In recent years we’ve seen a trend in LRA fighters choosing to release women and children from captivity rather than kill them. This could be due to instructions by Kony to reduce violence in an attempt to diminish international attention and, hopefully, outlive our resolve to remove him from the battlefield. On the other hand, though, LRA fighters have also used this tactic of releasing a group of women and children to gauge how they will be treated if they choose to also leave the LRA.
RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A CRITICAL WINDOW OF TIME TO CAPITALIZE ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENCOURAGE OTHER MEMBERS OF THIS LRA GROUP TO SURRENDER. YOU CAN HELP BY DONATING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-LED INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE LRA FIGHTERS TO LAY DOWN THEIR WEAPONS.
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