What A Long Journey! Ugandan Gov’t Finally Repatriates Kony’s Wives & Children From Central African Republic

By Swift Reporter

The Government of Uganda has repatriated two women formerly held in captivity by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), along with several children linked to rebel leader Joseph Kony, from the Central African Republic (CAR).

The women, identified as 33-year-old Ugandan national Ikol Grace and South Sudanese citizen Aniyessi Teregina, arrived at the UPDF Airbase in Entebbe on Thursday after being flown in from Bangui, CAR. They were received by the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS), Major General Richard Otto, who also escorted them back to Uganda.

Ikol returned with her two children, Ayuma Maria, aged 8, and Oryema Bosco, aged 2. Teregina arrived carrying one of Kony’s orphaned children, also aged 2.

According to the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MoDVA) and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Ikol was abducted in 2003 at the age of 10 from Amuria District in eastern Uganda. Teregina was kidnapped three years later in 2006 at the age of 13 from Yambio in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State.

Officials said arrangements are underway to facilitate Teregina’s return to her home country and reunite her with her family in South Sudan.

The repatriation follows the escape of eight women believed to be wives of LRA leader Joseph Kony and 13 children earlier this year. The group reportedly fled captivity in January after their camp, located south of Darfur near the borders of CAR, Sudan, and South Sudan, came under attack by an armed group.

Authorities said several of the escapees were citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. They, together with their children, have since been reunited with their families in their respective countries.

The latest returnees add to the growing number of former LRA captives being assisted back into civilian life. In 2023 and 2024, more than 150 former LRA abductees, including some of Kony’s wives and children, were repatriated to Uganda from CAR after escaping rebel captivity.

The LRA, once notorious for brutal insurgencies across northern Uganda and neighboring countries, has significantly weakened over the years, though remnants of the group are believed to remain active in remote parts of Central Africa.

The Ugandan government says it remains committed to regional cooperation efforts aimed at rescuing abductees, dismantling remaining rebel networks, and supporting the reintegration of survivors into their communities.