Mary One Saturday morning in December 1998, I was abducted from my home. We were made to walk until we reached some place and after three days we were given away as wives to the rebels. We were given out in a very bad way, there was no time allowed for the rebels to convince you to become their wives. They would just hand you over to a man and they would tell you that this is your husband go with him.
At that time I was still very young, I tried to refuse the man I was given but I was told that if I refused, I would be killed. I had no choice but to accept the man as my husband. I had to stay with him just like that and we had our three children. Imagine, we were given out at a time when we were not yet ready to be with men. We stayed together until it was time to return home in 2004.
My husband, the father of my children, was called Captain Abola Sali. We were six wives altogether. Being six wives, we could not live in harmony, as you know many women .ghting for one man’s attention cannot live in peace. Out of these six, I was the only Langi, the rest were Acholi. We the Langi were hated. Sometimes I was beaten by those others for being a Langi and because the Captain loved me most, but that was not really the case. My husband used to treat me well but sometimes he was very violent. At such times he would beat me up. You were not expected to cry, you had to endure the pain without tears. But in most occasions we used to live peacefully.
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Esteban Sacco/OCHA
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What made us leave that place? One day Captain woke up in the morning and told all of us to return home because the war had become very violent. He took me together with the others and we walked until we entered Gulu. In Gulu, we entered the barracks from where we were transferred to the main barracks. From there we were taken to Gulu Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO). He remained in the first barracks.
While in GUSCO, the administrators rang the people of Rachelle to come and collect me. The people in Rachelle put an announcement over the radio and that is how my people got to know my whereabouts and they came and collected me.
That is how we left the bush.
While in GUSCO, we lived a very happy life. They would counsel us and encourage us who have returned to have a heart of forgiveness. Even if people abused us we were supposed to forgive them. When we would fall sick we would be taken to hospital in a vehicle. We really enjoyed life while in GUSCO. We were always being taught. When our children would fall sick they would be taken to hospital. We were given everything for free - clothes, soap, basins and bedding, they took good care of us. That was our life in GUSCO.
When I got to Lira, the life here was similar to that in GUSCO. There was no discrimination. We were all treated equally. Every morning we would be taught how to live and survive after returning from the bush. If people referred to us as rebels, we were encouraged to forgive them. Our life was good we had no problems we used to sleep well. That was our life in Rachelle.
I want to continue staying with my children because now there is relative peace. We are able to cultivate food to feed our children. The people in Rachelle gave me a sewing machine that’s what I utilize to take care of my children. I do not wish to go back to Rachelle because I am at peace at home. Nobody disturbs me or even gives me headache.