Bad weather in Wau Town, northwestern South Sudan, delayed the planned repatriation of 46 former abductees of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to Uganda.
A senior military official confirms that the returnees, comprising 22 men, 12 women, and 12 children, were expected to arrive in Gulu City yesterday afternoon aboard a chartered plane.
The group had defected from LRA ranks and had been residing in Darfur in Western Sudan, a volatile region affected by ongoing conflict and insurgencies.
Maj. Gen. Richard Otto, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, said on Saturday that authorities had remained in contact with the returnees as they trekked on foot to cross into South Sudan.
Speaking to relatives and former LRA combatants gathered at Gulu City yesterday to welcome the returnees, Gen. Otto confirmed that the group had safely arrived in Wau Town after being picked up at the South Sudan border by joint South Sudanese and Ugandan security teams.
According to Gen. Otto, the group spent four days navigating high-risk security routes aboard a three-wheeled motorcycle before trekking on foot for two more days to cross into South Sudan at a designated pickup point.
He explains that a plane scheduled to transport the returnees from Wau to Uganda yesterday couldn’t make a flight due to heavy rains in the area.
By URN
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