Just How Bad Was It in Gulu?

In the April 2023 newsletter we briefly touched on Joseph Kony’s rebel army and the many Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps in northern Uganda. Below is a bit more of that scenario, condensed from Russ Carr’s self-published “The History of Sports Outreach Institute.”

In the North of Uganda, thousands of children were being kidnapped by Joseph Kony, who headed up an army of rebels calling themselves the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The Ugandan Army seemed unable to cope with their attacks that went on daily. In order to protect some of the people, the government opened up more and more IDP camps, where thousands of men, women and children were crammed into a small space. The town of Gulu was central to much of this activity, with seven camps ranging in size from 15,000 to 76,000, within 12 miles of Gulu.

Each night, several thousand children would walk into Gulu town from their villages for protection. They would sleep on doorsteps or sidewalks, in parks and dirt fields, or wherever else there was space. At the height of this nightmare, 40,000 children entered the city as "night commuters" or as some called them, the "invisible children.”

Thousands of people were in desperate straits. A good number of them were deeply traumatized. Many children were forced by the rebels to kill their parents and even their friends as they were being abducted. Young girls were repeatedly raped and tortured while others were sold as slaves. When some escaped or were freed by government troops their emotional state was in complete collapse. Most stared off into space. They were totally traumatized and desperately needed medical help and professional counseling. However, few, if any doctors or counselors were available. It was imperative that something be done. Soon Aloysius Kyazze was asked minister in this needy part of the country, and in 2003, ministry in Gulu was launched.