On this day in 2003, the people of Teso awoke to one of the darkest moments in the region's history as fighters from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) launched a devastating assault on Obalanga Sub-County, now part of Kapelebyong District.
The attack marked the first major LRA incursion into eastern Uganda, expanding the insurgency beyond its traditional strongholds in northern Uganda and catching both civilians and security forces by surprise.
Led by senior commanders including Okot Odhiambo, the rebels swept through Obalanga and neighbouring communities, leaving a trail of destruction. Civilians were killed in brutal attacks, with many shot, hacked to death or burned alive in their homes.
Thousands of children and young people were abducted and forced into the rebels' ranks as fighters, porters or sex slaves.
The violence sparked widespread panic across the Teso sub-region. Within months, nearly 90 per cent of the population had been displaced into overcrowded Internally Displaced Persons camps. Obalanga itself became home to more than 40,000 displaced people seeking refuge from the insurgency.
The attacks also gave rise to one of the most significant local resistance movements in Uganda's recent history.
Frustrated by the slow response to the crisis, community leaders and former combatants organised the Arrow Boys, a volunteer militia armed largely with bows, arrows, spears and a handful of firearms. Working alongside the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the group played a crucial role in driving the LRA out of Teso and helping rescue abducted children.
Today, the Obalanga Massacre Memorial, also known as the Arrow Boys Monument, stands over what is regarded as the largest mass grave in Uganda. The site contains the remains of about 365 victims who died during the initial stages of the LRA invasion and the fighting that followed.
Every year on June 15, survivors, relatives of the victims, local leaders and residents gather at the memorial to honour those who lost their lives.