The story of Edward Lomude

Edward Lomude [Photo: DRC/Sudan]

10 August 2007: Edward Lomude used to be a happy boy who would play football with his classmates or collect wild fruits in the forest with his friends. He used to live in Morsak Village locate 30 kilometers from Yei Town in Lainya County in Southern Sudan. He is a Pojulo by tribe and lives with his mother and four younger brothers. His father passed away years ago. He has come to Tomoret, a village only few kilometers from his own, to tell his story.

Edward is carefully searching for the right words to explain precisely what happened on May 19 when he was abducted by the LRA. He is visibly affected by the events that took place that evening and in the time after. He explains that that he has physical pains. However, it is evident that he is also suffering from the internal pain caused trauma caused by this experience.

The abduction has made him feel insecure and he fears rightfully that the LRA will return. He does not want to go to school, play football with his friends or collect fruits from the forest. He does not smile like he used to, and his face has a grave expression when he puts the story together. 

''I was at home when about 40 rebels came to my village. The rebels entered my family''s tukul (hut) and started looting. They stole tools and food from us, and they made me carry the heavy sacks. I was told to carry a bag of sugar and a bag of flour''. Together with Edward, the rebels also forced five other men from the village to walk with them. After a few kilometers, all the five men were released while Edward was taken up to Nabangu in Western Equatoria, more than 200 km of walking.

The rebels of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have mainly earned its reputation from making Northern Uganda an insecure area for more than two decades. But the LRA also operates in Southern Sudan which they use as a route to pass through from Northern Uganda to Garamba Forest in Congo. On their way, they loot villages and force children to carry goods for them. Children whom they later will turn into rebels.

Edward was terrified, when he realized that he could not walk anymore  - ''I had no shoes and I was walking on my bare feet. I was tired and scared  my feet got bruised and scarred from walking in the forest. Suddenly, I just collapsed and I could not continue''. The rebels started beating him until he lost consciousness. He was later found and rescued by some hunters who took care of him, and after a long journey he returned to his home village which is still suffering from the LRA attack.

''There was nothing there, everything had been taken or destroyed. We live on cooked pumpkin leaves. The people are very afraid, we fear that the LRA will come back''. Hence, the family moved to another village, but the problem remains. - ''The people in the new village have been good, and they have assisted us with some food, they even gave us clothes. But they don''t have enough for themselves. Now we don''t have anything'', Edward finalizes.

CERF funds rebuilding LRA affected communities

After the displacement that followed the attacks in Lainya Count, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) conducted a vulnerability survey to assess the emergency situation. For the communities which had lost most of their basic assets for living and displaced from their original homes, the food insecurity situation has worsened. People have been assaulted, raped and some abducted, and the food and item that the rebels could not carry, were simply destroyed.

These people have already suffered severely from the impact of the civil war – and the fear of the LRA rebels returning and the lack of food and tools make it difficult to sustain a living. The community has not been targeted by any other humanitarian organization as most of the donor funds were already allocated to different sectors – mainly related to repatriation.

A grant from the Central Emergency Response Fund were made available for LRA affected communities. The CERF funds were quickly implemented via the UNDP Recovery Section and OCHA EP&R support. Through the CERF funds, Danish Refugee Council now serves more than 850 households affected by the LRA. Assistance is provided through provision of non-food items, shelter, agricultural inputs and safe water provision. These basic services are not only saving lives but also bringing hope and telling the people that they are not forgotten.

Click here to read more about CERF in Sudan 2007

[Last Update: 10 August 2007]

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