LRA abductees sue government

Nov 16, 2017

The girls say the government failed to protect them, leading to their abduction in 1996.

PIC: President Yoweri Museveni meets former Aboke Girls student who was abducted by the LRA, Catherine Ajok, at State House in 2009

COURT | ABOKE GIRLS VS. GOVT

A group of former students of Aboke girl's school abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have sued the government for negligence that they say led to their abduction.

They want court to order the Government to pay them, damages with interests at 25% from the date of judgment until payment in full and cost of the case.

Sarah Atim, Harriet Adong and 137 others dragged the Attorney General (AG) to the Civil Division of the High Court yesterday. The AG is the principal legal adviser of the government.

They say that the army failed to protect them from attacks by the rebels and that as a result, the rebels invaded their school and forcefully took them away and subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment and torture.

The girls also contend that they were subjected to sexual slavery including rape, defilement and sexual harassment by their captors. LRA, also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a guerrilla group led by Joseph Kony.

"UPDF failed in their constitutional duty of protecting the country and its citizens and left us and some family members to be abducted and killed by the rebels for which government is vicariously liable," Sarah Atim, one of the plaintiffs contends.

Court documents indicate that the girls were abducted on the night of October 10, 1996 from their school, located in Kole district, formerly Apac.

PIC: Attorney General William Byaruhanga. The Government has been given 15 days to respond

They aver that some of their colleagues, including the head girl, Edith Enang, were tortured to death for attempting to escape.

Subsequent to the arrest, Sister Rachele Fassera, the former school's deputy headmistress, and teacher John Bosco Ocen bravely followed the rebels to the bush until 109 students were released.

The last girl escaped the LRA clutches in 2009, 12 years after she was abducted.

Prior to the incident, it is said that Sr. Rathelle approached the army officers from Aboke barracks to give security and protection for the girls at school having been alerted by romours of the intended adduction, but the soldiers ignored her pleas.

The girls contend that they have continued to suffer psychological and physical torture and are discriminated against by the community, including their relatives and are looked at as outcasts and treated as rebels.

The girls say they were subjected to mass conscription into the rebel activities due to failure by government soldiers to protect them.

The girls say they served government with the statutory notice of intention to sue, but the same was ignored.

The deputy registrar, Sarah Langa, has summoned the Government to file its defence within 15 days.

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