The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), in collaboration with South Sudanese authorities, has successfully repatriated 13 Ugandan citizens who were trapped in armed conflicts within South Sudan.
The operation successfully returned 11 adults and two children to the country. The Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security for the UPDF, Major General Richard Otto, coordinated the rescue mission alongside his South Sudanese counterpart, the Chief of Military Intelligence.
The Resident City Commissioner (RCC) for Gulu City, Mr. Ambrose Onario, received the returnees on behalf of the State Minister for Northern Uganda, Hon. Beatrice Akello Akoli.
Security agencies used the occasion to caution the public against deceptive individuals who lure vulnerable citizens across the border with false promises of lucrative employment.
“When we heal together, we grow together,” Mr. Ambrose Onario stated while urging the returnees to abandon thoughts of revenge.
The government immediately handed over the 13 returnees to Terra Renaissance, an international rehabilitation and reintegration organization led by a Japanese national, Mr. Shingo.
The humanitarian agency will enroll the group in specialized mindset transformation programs and practical vocational courses to help them transition smoothly back into civilian life.
According to information from the office of the agency, the returnees will receive priority enrollment in state wealth-creation programs, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga, to jumpstart their household incomes.
The Prime Minister of Ker Kwaro Acholi, Mr. Martin Okumu, praised the military high command for securing the safe return of the citizens, emphasizing that Northern Uganda has permanently moved beyond its history of conflict. He called upon local villages to warmly receive the returnees, describing them as vital members of the community.
Representing the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, the Assistant Mufti of the Acholi Sub-region, Sheikh Musa Kalimu, similarly commended President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his long-standing support of peaceful repatriation mechanisms following the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency.
“These are our family members and part of one community,” Mr. Martin Okumu noted.