Two young women who once lived under the control of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony have been safely returned to Uganda after escaping captivity in the Central African Republic. They arrived at the UPDF Airbase in Entebbe, where they were received by senior military officials and reunited with hopes of rebuilding their lives.
The two women, Ugandan Ikol Grace, 33, and South Sudanese national Aniyessi Teregina, also 33, were flown from Bangui, CAR, alongside their children. Ikol Grace arrived with her two children, while Aniyessi was carrying one of Kony’s orphaned children, who is just two years old. Their return marks the end of a long and painful journey that began when they were abducted as children.
Ikol Grace was taken from Amuria District in Uganda in 2003 when she was only 10 years old. She spent more than two decades in captivity under the LRA. Aniyessi Teregina was abducted in 2006 at the age of 13 from Yambio in Western Equatoria, South Sudan. Both women grew up in harsh conditions far from their families and home communities.
Their return was coordinated and escorted by the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, Major General Richard Otto. Officials have confirmed that arrangements will be made to help Aniyessi Teregina travel back to her home country in South Sudan in due course, while both women will receive support as they begin the process of reintegration into society.
Reports indicate that in January this year, eight wives of Joseph Kony and thirteen children managed to escape after their camp was attacked by an armed group south of Darfur, near the border areas of Sudan, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan. That attack created an opportunity for several captives to flee from years of control and uncertainty.
Other women and children who escaped, including Congolese and Central African nationals, were already handed over to their families in their respective countries. Their return has brought relief to relatives who had long feared they would never see them again.
This is not the first large return of former LRA captives. Between 2023 and 2024, more than 150 people, including some of Kony’s wives and children, were brought back to Uganda from the Central African Republic after escaping from LRA captivity. These returns continue to highlight the long-lasting impact of the LRA conflict across Uganda and neighboring countries.
For many of the returnees, freedom is only the beginning of a new and challenging chapter. After years spent in captivity, they now face the task of reconnecting with families, adjusting to civilian life, and healing from the experiences they endured.
