Deat o Children Abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH AFRICA / HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CHILDREN'S RIGHTS PROJECT Copyrightedmaten-j I ( Thls One CopyrightecJimage Copyrightedmaterial Copyrightedimage Copyrighledmaterial Copyrightodimage Copyrightedmaterial THE SCARS OF DEATH ChildrenAbductedbytheLord'sResistanceArmyinUganda HumanRightsWatch/Africa HumanRightsWatchChildren'sRightsProject HumanRightsWatch NewYork•Washington*London•Brussels Copyrightedmaterial CopyrightOSeptember1997byHumanRightsWatch. Allrightsreserved. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica. ISBN1-56432-221-1 LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber97-74724 HumanRightsWatch/Africa HumanRightsWatch/Africawasestablishedin1988tomonitorandpromotethe observance ofinternationally recognized human rights in sub-Saharan Africa. PeterTakirambuddeistheexecutivedirector;JanetFleischmanistheWashington director; SulimanAiiBaldoistheseniorresearcher; AlexVinesistheresearch associate;BronwenManbyandBinaiferNowrojeearecounsels;ArianaPearlroth andJulietWilsonareassociates; andAlisonDesForgesisaconsultant.William Carmichael isthechairoftheadvisorycommitteeandAliceBrownisthevice chair. HumanRightsWatchChikb-en'sRightsProject TheHumanRightsWatchChildren'sRightsProjectwasestablishedin1994to monitor and promote the human rights ofchildren aroundthe world. Lois Whitman istfiedirector;YodonThondeniscounsel;RosaErenreichand Lee Tuckerareconsultants;andLindaShipleyistheassociate. JaneGreenSchalleris chairoftheAdvisorycommittee. AddressesforHumanRightsWatch 485 FifthAvenue,NewYork,NY 10017-6104 Tel:(212)972-8400,Fax:(212)972-0905,E-mail:[email protected] 1522KStreet,N.W.,#910,Washington,DC 20005-1202 Tel:(202)371-6592,Fax:(202)371-0124,E-mail:[email protected] 33IslingtonHighStreet,N19LHLondon,UK Tel:(171)713-1995,Fax:(171)713-1800,B-maU:[email protected] 15RueVanCampenhout,1000Bnissels,Belgium Tel:(2)732-2009,Fax:(2)732-0471,E-mail:[email protected] WebSiteAddress:http://www.hrw.oig Listserv address: To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail message to [email protected]"subscribehrw-news"inthebodyofthemessage (leavethesubjectlineblank). HumanRightsWatchisdedicatedto protectingthehumanrightsofpeoplearoundtheworld. Westandwithvictimsandactiviststopievent discrimination,toupholdpoliticalfreedom,toprotectpeoplefrom inhumaneconductinwartime,andtobringof&ndeistojustice. Weinvestigateandexpose humanrightsviolationsandholdabusersaccountable. Wechallengegovernmentsandthosewhoholdpowertoend abusivepracticesandrespectinternationalhumanrigihtslaw. Weenlistthepublicandtheinternational communitytosupportthecauseofhumanrightsforall. Copyrightedmaterial HUMANRIGHTSWATCH Human Rights Watchconductsregular,systematicinvestigations ofhumanrights abusesinsomesevoityoounlriesaroundthewor^ OuricpuMiontbrtimely,relUble disclosufeshasmadeusanessentialsouiceofinibnnationforthoieocmconedwhfa humanrights.Weaddressthehumanrightspnctieeiofgovenmientsofallpolitical stripes, ofall geopolitical alignments,and ofall ethnic and religiouspersuasions. HumanRights Watchdefendsfreedomofthoughtandexpression,dueprocessand equalprotectionofthelaw,andavigorouscivilsociet>';wedocumentanddenounce murders, disappearances,torture,arbitrary imprisonment,discrimination,andother abusesofinternationallyrecognizedhumanrights. Ourgoalistoholdgovernments accountableiftheytransgresstherightsoftheirpeople. Human Rights Watch began in 1978withthe foundingofitsHelsmki division.Today,itincludesfivedivisionscoveringAfrica,theAmericas^Asia,the MiddleEast,aswellasthesignatoriesoftheHelshikiaocords. italsoincludesthree collaborativeprojectsonamistransfers,chUdren'srights,andwomen'sriglhiB.It maintainsofficesinNewYork,Washington,LosAngeles,London,Brussds,Moscow, Dushanbe,RiodeJaneiro,andHongKong. HumanRightsWatchisanindependent, nongovernmentalorganization,supportedbycontributionsfromprivateindividualsand foundationsworldwide. Itacceptsnogovernmentfunds,directlyorindirectly. ThestaffincludesKennethRoth,executivedirector;SusanOsnos,associate director;MicheleAlexander,developmentdirector;CyntluaBrown,programdirector; BarbaraGuglielmo,financeandadmmistrationduedor,RobertKfanay,publications director;JenLeber,specialadvisor,L«tlBLeicfat,Brusselsofficedbeclor;SusanOs communicationsdirector,JemeraRone,counsel;WilderTayler,generalcounsel;and JoannaWeschler,UnitedNationsrepresentative. The regional directors ofHuman Rights Watch are PeterTakirambudde, Africa;JoseMiguelVivanco,Americas;SidneyJones..Asia;HollyGartner,Helsinki; andHannyMegally,MiddleEast. TheprojectdirectorsareJoostR.Hiltermann,Arms Project;LoisWhitman,Children'sRightsProject;andDorothyQ.Thomas,Women's RightsProject. ThemembersoftheboardofduedonareRobertL.Bemstem,chair;Adrian W.DeWind,vicechair,LisaAndenon,WillumCarmichael,DocodiyCulhnan,Ofaia Despres,IreneDiamond,FionaDnidcenmiller,EdhhEverett,JonathanFanton,James C.Goodale,JackGreenberg,VartanGregorian,AliceH.Henkin,StephenL.Kass, MarinaPintoKaufman,BruceKlatsky,HaroldHongjuKoh,AlexanderMacGregor, josh Mailman, Samuel K Murumba, Andrew Nathan, Jane Olson, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis. Bruce Rabb, Sigrid Rausing, Anita Roddick, Orville Schell, Sid Sheinberg,GaryG.Sick,MalcolmSmith,DomnaStanton,MaureenWhite,andMaya Wiley. Copyrightedmateria ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ThisrepcHtisbasedonresearchinUgandafromlateMaytoearlyJuneof 1997. TheresearchwasconductedbyRosaEhrenreich,aconsultantforthe HumanRightsWatchChildren'sRightsProject,andbyYodonThonden,counsel fortheChildren'sRightsProject ThereportwaswrittenbyRosaEhrenreich,and editedbyYodonThondenandLoisWhitman,thedirectoroftheChildren'sRights Project PeterTakirambudde, the directorofHuman Rights Watch's Africa Divbion, and Joanne Mariner, associate counsel for Human Rights Watch, providedadditionalcommentsonthemanuscript. LindaShipley,associatetothe Children'sRightsProject,providedinvaluableproductionassistance. Thisreportwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheassistanceofdie UNICEFoffice inUganda. Inparticular, wewishtothankKathleenCravero, PonsianoOchero.LeilaPakkala,andKeithWrightinKampala,andGeorgeOgol andMosesOngariainGulu.WearealsogratefultoProfessorSemakulaKiwanuka, the Ugandan permanentrepresentativetothe United Nations, andto the many Ugandangovernmentofficialswhofacilitatedourmission,includingLieutenant BantarizaShaban,thepublicrelationsliasionofficerfortheFourthDivisionofthe UgandaPeople'sDefenseForce(UPDF),ColonelJamesKazini,Commanderofthe UPDFFourthDivision,andJ.J.Odur,thevice-chairmanofGulu'sLocalCouncil FiveandthechairmanoftheGuluDisasterManagementCommittee. InKampala,anumberofindividualsprovideduswhfahelpfulbackground information. TheyincludeRichardYoungofRedBamet,RobbyMuhumuzaof WoridVision,SisterBrunaBarollaoftheCamboniSisteis,LivingstoneSewanyana oftheFoundationforHumanRightsinitiative,CathyWatson,JimMugunguofthe Monitor newspaper. Dr. Fillipo Ciantia of AVSI, the Italian Development Corporation,JohnMugishaoftfieUgandaLawSociety, RobinaNamusisiofthe NationalAssociationofWomenLawyeis,ReginaLuleMutyabaoftheHuman RightsEducationandDocumentationCenter,AnnaBorzello,themembersofthe UgandaHumanRightsCommission,HilaryWright,SisterJudithAchilo,Andres BanyaoftheAcholiDevelopmentAssociation,Hon.NorbertMao,M.P.forGulu, Saeed Bukunyaofthe Office ofChild Care and Protection, Hon. Livingstone Okello-Okello,M.P.forKitgum,Hon.DanielOmaraAtubo,M.P.forLira,Hon. AlphonseOwinyDollo,ministerofstateforthenorth,DianeSwaylesofSavethe Children Fund U.K., and Ron and Pam Ferguson ofthe Mennonite Central Committee. Outside ofKampala, we were assisted by more people than we can mentionhere,butespeciallybyCharlesWotmonofWorldVision,PaulinusNyeko ofGuluHumanRightsFocus,SisterRacheleFasseraoftheSt.MarySchool in Aboke,Dr.BrunoCorredaandDr.MatthewLukwiyaofLacorHospitalinGulu, andthemanyparentsintheConcernedParentsofAbokeorganizatim. Wearealso grateful to die counselors, teachers and staff at Gulu Save the Children Copyrightedmaterial Organization,WorldVisioninGuluandKiryandoqgo,andtheSt.MarySchoolin Aboke. Finally,wewishtothanis.themanyUgandanchildrenwhotoldustheir stories. Wewouldthani<themeachbyname,buttodosomightendangertheir safety. Theircourageisaninspirationtous. Copyrightedmaterial