Two women formerly associated with Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony have been repatriated to Uganda following a coordinated transfer from the Central African Republic, the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs confirmed on Friday.
The group, received at the UPDF Airbase in Entebbe, includes Ugandan national Ikol Grace, 33, and South Sudanese national Aniyessi Teregina, also 33, alongside their children.
Ikol was abducted in 2003 from Amuria District at the age of 10, while Aniyessi was taken in 2006 from Yambio in Western Equatoria State.
Security officials said the women and children were flown from Bangui under the supervision of the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, Major General Richard Otto, before being received at Entebbe.
According to the ministry, eight wives and 13 children escaped captivity in January after their camp was attacked by an armed group south of Darfur near the CAR–Sudan–South Sudan border region.
Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Colonel Chris Magezi, said the repatriation forms part of ongoing regional cooperation to account for former LRA captives still scattered across Central Africa.
“The Government of Uganda continues to prioritise the safe return, rehabilitation and reunification of all persons who were abducted by the LRA and later found in remote regions of Central Africa,” Col Magezi said.
He added that coordinated operations with regional partners remain key in tracking former captives and dismantling residual LRA-linked structures.
“The return of these women and children demonstrates sustained collaboration between Uganda and regional governments in addressing the long-standing humanitarian impact of the LRA insurgency,” he said.
The other returnees, including Congolese and Central African nationals, have been handed over to their respective families.
Uganda says more than 150 former LRA captives were repatriated from the Central African Republic in 2023 and 2024 as part of ongoing reintegration efforts.
“The government is committed to ensuring that every returnee receives the necessary psychosocial support to rebuild their lives with dignity,” Col Magezi noted.
The Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, waged a decades-long insurgency in northern Uganda and neighbouring countries, leaving thousands abducted and displaced.
Authorities say continued repatriation efforts remain central to regional stabilisation and post-conflict recovery programmes.