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People > Adults > Personal Interviews > Children

Ugandan Ochola John
Sierra-Leone

In February 2002, after sunset, Ugandan’s Village was attacked and he was then horridly tortured by the rebels. They told the villagers to lay on the ground in three lines and asked Ugandan to smash their heads with logs. As he bravely refused, one of the rebels came up to him and cut of his left ear, accusing him of being a part of the government soldier. He was put in the middle as the rebels killed the people of his village. Early the next morning, Ugandan was abducted, along with 34 other people and they were repeatedly beaten and restrained from food and water. After the women were raped, they were forced to boil water for everyone. The villagers were told to eat Ugandan because he was accused as a government soldier. They were beaten again with hot metal and the women were raped again. Ugandan’s lost his hands, nose, ears, and lips.
 
 “I wish I could be born again. It hurts me to see my reflection because of the way I now look.”
(from an interview with Ugandan)

 

Source: "LRA victim: 'I cannot forget and forgive' ." BBC NEWS 29 Jun 2006 21 July 2006 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5129350.stm>.