The Voice of Peace is a quarterly grassroots newsletter featuring news and opinions from areas affected by the LRA conflict.
In this extract from Issue 2, Vicky Amony talks about her daughter who was abducted by the LRA in 2005 and how she is still haunted by the experience.
Voice of Peace: What is your name, how old are you and where do you reside currently?
My name is Vicky Amony, I am 50 years old and I live in Negri village in Bardege division, Gulu District, Uganda.
My child who was abducted and is still in the bush up to now is called Beatrice Anena. She was abducted at the age of 15 years, from Negri village where I still live.
When was she abducted, and in which school and what class was she?
She was abducted on the 2nd of February 2005 and she had sat Primary seven from St. Josephs Primary school in 2005 and had just got into senior school.
Have you heard that Major General Caesar Acellam who is a senior person in the LRA has been captured? How did you feel when you heard this news?
Yes I have heard. I felt good and prayed that if his arrest could encourage the rest who are still keeping our children in the bush would see and take courage to do the same it would be very good.
I think if they arrest all his top commanders or if they all surrender then Joseph Kony will be arrested soon.
Did you hear that the United States has sent its soldiers to come and help the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) with the fight against LRA? That the African Union Joint Task Force are now establishing their base in the region from where they are planning to launch a military attack on the LRA? What are your opinions about these issues?
I feel very sad because the approach they have chosen to resolve the conflict will finish all our innocent children who were abducted and forced to carry guns. They are some of the ones being called LRA today, most of them are held against their will. If only opportunities could be given to them to come out before the attack that are being planned I think less than a handful of people could be left in the bush. So my humble request to the US and AU military forces is that let them not give up but continue to push for a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
I suggest he should be granted Amnesty like other LRA top commanders who came out and whose names were not with the International Criminal Court, so that other LRA top commanders still in the bush holding our children in captivity could have the opportunity to come out of the bush.