An Inquiry into the Lived Experiences of Child Soldiers within the Lord’s Resistance Army Insurgency in Amuru District, 1987-2024

Abstract

ocusing on the heavily impacted region of Amuru District, this research delved into the lived experiences of former child soldiers conscripted by the LRA from 1987 to 2024. The study’s specific objectives were to: (i) examine the recruitment and abduction strategies employed by the LRA in Amuru District, (ii) investigate the experiences encountered, and (iii) assess the psychological and social effects of these experiences on child soldiers. Based on a qualitative approach and phenomenological design, the study used in-depth interviews, participant observation and Focus Group Discussions to collect the required data. The LRA leaders used systematic indoctrination and forced recruitment, instilling fear and dismantling social structures. The experiences included forced participation in violent killings often against their own communities, inhuman punishments, physical abuse, starvation and constant threats of death. Despite demonstrating remarkable resilience, many former child soldiers continue to face significant obstacles, including social stigma and economic hardship. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) strategically abducted children, using violent tactics to ensure dependency. The group systematically dismantled their identities through abuse and ritualised violence, inflicting lasting psychological trauma and social stigma. After the conflict, these former child soldiers face a difficult reintegration, with their trauma fueling a cycle of violence and poverty that destabilises entire communities. A multi-pronged mental health approach for addressing the complex trauma experienced by former child soldiers. Combat social stigma and rejection through structured, community-wide sensitisation and reconciliation initiatives, develop accelerated learning programs to build foundational literacy and numeracy skills, and commission and fund longitudinal studies that track the well-being of survivors and their families over time.