On this day in 2023, the first batch of former Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) combatants and their families returned to Uganda after surrendering in the Central African Republic.
A chartered flight carrying 61 Ugandans landed at Entebbe Military Airbase, bringing home 14 former combatants, 14 wives and 33 children who had spent years living in the dense forests of eastern Central African Republic near Mboki after breaking away from Joseph Kony's dwindling rebel group.
The returnees were led by Ali Acaye, widely known by his wartime alias "Doctor," one of the most senior former LRA commanders to defect from the insurgency.
Their arrival was witnessed by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, then Defence Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, senior Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) officers, cultural leaders from the Acholi and Lango sub-regions, and members of the diplomatic community.
Addressing the returnees, Nabbanja assured them of the government's commitment to supporting their peaceful reintegration into society.
She also appealed to communities in northern Uganda to welcome the former fighters and their families without discrimination, saying reconciliation remained essential to preserving the peace the region has enjoyed in recent years.
Ssempijja described the homecoming as another important milestone in closing one of the darkest chapters of Uganda's history after decades of conflict that displaced millions of people and devastated communities across northern Uganda.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Acaye thanked the Ugandan government, the Acholi cultural institution and all those who had worked to facilitate their return.
He pledged that neither he nor those who had returned with him would ever again take up arms against Uganda.
Following their arrival in Entebbe, the returnees entered government-supported demobilisation and rehabilitation programmes, where they underwent medical screening, psychosocial counselling and preparations for reintegration into their home communities.
Their return was part of broader efforts by the Ugandan government, regional leaders and international partners to encourage remaining LRA fighters to defect peacefully and reunite with their families after nearly four decades of conflict.
