Michael Droma remembers the exact hour that war began.
It began at 7:30 in the evening. Michael was returning home to Adjumani from Bibia. Rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army captured him as he was about to enter his house. His hands were tied behind his back, and he was taken to a tree to be killed.
He might have died. Yet, Michael was saved by a man he believes Joseph Kony himself. The commander saw Michael’s size, and ordered him to become a soldier instead. Michael marched, joined a host other captives facing a brutal and uncertain future.
He watched as another village was raided. Michael claims that 54 more people were abducted from that place.
They came next to a river. He was forced to carry heavy loads, even asserts he carried Kony through the water. He watched as 32 people drowned in the current. Another 21 were shot on the spot. Weakness was a death sentence. Rebel leaders asked their captives if they were tired and all who answered yes were killed without mercy.
The army came to another tree, and many were forced to lie down below it. Michael was among those in the dirt, and once again he stared at death. Michael claims that Kony again intervened to save his life, as thanks for ferrying the commander across the water. Michael was spared, but given a heavy log. In order to survive he had to kill others. Michael moved down the line of bodies, killing from behind, using the log, counting, beating, one, two, three, four, five, six. The seventh person was then given the log and the slaughter continued.
At this point in the retelling, Michael touched the place where his head and neck met, showing where to hit. His eyes flashed also up and down. He did not say what happened to the bodies.
Afterwards, he and other captives spent three weeks inching over the porous border between Uganda and what is now South Sudan. He was then taken to Aruu Junction in South Sudan to begin his official training as a soldier.
There, he learned to handle a weapon. He claims that 2,136 soldiers were trained alongside him. Soon, an attack by the government reduced the number of rebels by half. Michael was among those who survived and spent a week hiding in caves below a river bend, with nothing to eat. Michael became angry then, and when the LRA returned to Uganda and attacked villages, he joined in the killing.
He remembers cutting off women’s breasts and asking if people wanted to laugh, and removing the lips of those who said yes, so that they were forced into an eternal and grotesque smile. Everywhere there was a trail of destruction and even animals did not escape death.
Eventually Michael fled. He arrived in Kitgum weighed down with weapons, including two guns, 18 bullets and several grenades. He handed these weapons over to the government.
Eventually, he came home, after residing in several other locations. The war did not end upon his return to Adjumani. He is isolated within his village, and people call him “Son of Kony,” stigmatizing and effectively exiling him. He lost his business and now has no way to buy new clothes, to feed his family, or to educate his children. In fact, he fears sending them to school, knowing they will be mocked and tormented as the offspring of a former rebel.
His wife has returned to her family, who feared that Michael’s captivity had turned him cruel. To this date he has not received proper counseling or medical treatment, and claims he is desperate for both. He also hopes the community can be sensitized to understand that he acted only out of self-perseveration, that he did what was necessary to keep alive.
He knows that he is not alone in suffering. He currently sees refugees cross the same boarder he did when in captivity, as they flee conflict in South Sudan. He believes that these refugees face a similar plight as those Ugandan communities once plagued by war. He claims that Ugandans and refugees can, “join hands together.”
Michael has never told his story before. His primary desire is for his children to live a better life.
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The Justice and Reconciliation Project remains committed to supporting the voices and needs of vulnerable populations throughout Northern Uganda. JRP has supported three Women’s Advocacy Network groups in Adjumani, providing income generating items and loan capitals.
This article is part of a larger series on the needs of communities in Adjumani. The project was made possible with the support of the Trust Africa Fund, with the goal of elevating forgotten voices and evaluating the success of existing programs. Interviews with from the project will aid in the development of a best practices guide for supporting victims of sexual and gender based violence. This guide will be presented at an international exchange in Nigeria. The guide will also be circulated to researchers, practitioners and government officials to ensure effective response.
Project Interviews were conducted by JRP Communications Intern Sophia Neiman and Research Assistant Benard Okot. Translation was provided by Emmanuel Anyovi.