Ida Akong'o, Uganda "I think my life is now worse than it was in captivity"

My name is Ida Akong'o. I am 23 years old. I was abducted with three brothers and two sisters in 1995. I was 12 years old then. One sister and a cousin were subsequently killed. I saw my friends being hacked to death for trying to escape. We went to Sudan and we would walk long distances to get food from the Arabs [northern Sudanese]. Many people died of hunger and thirst.

Our camp was attacked three times [by the Ugandan army]. We later moved to a camp near Juba [the main city in southern Sudan]. My first child died in the bush and I had two others with the man who was assigned to me as my husband. In the bush we suffered from lack of food.

The father of my children eventually released me for the sake of the children. I was brought back to my village in January [2006] but people rejected me. Life became unbearable. The father of my children eventually came back from the bush because of ill health. He had lost an eye and had a leg injury. I accepted him because he had changed; he was no longer cruel.

Life in captivity was so difficult. I almost died when our camp was attacked in 2002. Life is still difficult. I have no hope. I have a lot of pain inside me against those who did this to me. Had I not been abducted, my life would probably be different. I would have gone to school.

I think my life is now worse than it was in captivity. People reject me. To them I do not exist. In the bush we at least had companionship despite the suffering. My brother's wives rejected me, so I left the village to live in a rented room. My parents died while I was in captivity.

jn/mw