Slain Aboke girls remembered
Hundreds of parents in the north last week turned up for a memorial service for the students who were abducted and killed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.
By Patrick Okino
Hundreds of parents in the north last week turned up for a memorial service for the students who were abducted and killed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.
The 139 St Mary’s College Aboke girls were abducted in October 1996 from their school in Apac district. Of these, it was reported that Susan Apio, Enang Judith, Anguu Jeska, Ato Brenda and Namahele Louisa were killed
The main celebrant, Fr. Desiderious Pule, of Lira diocese called for resilience and commitment in order to build a peaceful coexistence.
The congregation also prayed for peace and reconciliation in the area, affected by the over two decades of the LRA insurgency.
The late Sister Alba Burlo, a headteacher at the time of the abduction, was also remembered.
Wreaths were laid at the grotto to remember those who lost their lives during the war and also to remind people of every one’s role towards achieving peace in the region.
The chairperson of Concerned Parents Association, Jackson Atwii, urged the rebels to release children still under their captivity.
The association is a charity that was started after the abduction. “We pray that God touches Joseph Kony so that the children in their custody are released,†Atwii said.
The children taken by the LRA were forced to become soldiers and sex slaves for Joseph Kony’s soldiers.
More than 15,000 have been rescued by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force since 1986.
An estimated 50,000 children have been abducted in the over 20 years of Kony’s war in northern Uganda.
Hundreds of parents in the north last week turned up for a memorial service for the students who were abducted and killed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.
The 139 St Mary’s College Aboke girls were abducted in October 1996 from their school in Apac district. Of these, it was reported that Susan Apio, Enang Judith, Anguu Jeska, Ato Brenda and Namahele Louisa were killed
The main celebrant, Fr. Desiderious Pule, of Lira diocese called for resilience and commitment in order to build a peaceful coexistence.
The congregation also prayed for peace and reconciliation in the area, affected by the over two decades of the LRA insurgency.
The late Sister Alba Burlo, a headteacher at the time of the abduction, was also remembered.
Wreaths were laid at the grotto to remember those who lost their lives during the war and also to remind people of every one’s role towards achieving peace in the region.
The chairperson of Concerned Parents Association, Jackson Atwii, urged the rebels to release children still under their captivity.
The association is a charity that was started after the abduction. “We pray that God touches Joseph Kony so that the children in their custody are released,†Atwii said.
The children taken by the LRA were forced to become soldiers and sex slaves for Joseph Kony’s soldiers.
More than 15,000 have been rescued by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force since 1986.
An estimated 50,000 children have been abducted in the over 20 years of Kony’s war in northern Uganda.