An Inquiry into the Lived Experiences of Child Soldiers within the Lord's Resistance Army Insurgency in Amuru District, 1987-2024

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dc.contributor.authorOchen,Patrick
dc.contributor.authorOdong James Bosco
dc.contributor.author0kello, Simon
dc.contributor.authorAlidri,Agatha
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-23T09:08:05Z
dc.date.available2026-04-23T09:08:05Z
dc.date.issued2025-07-14
dc.description.abstractFocusing on the heavily impacted region of Amuru District, this research delved into the lived experiences of former child soldiers conscripted by the LRA from 1987 to 2024. The study’s specific objectives were to: (i) examine the recruitment and abduction strategies employed by the LRA in Amuru District,(ii) investigate the experiences encountered, and (iii) assess the psychological and social effects of these experiences on child soldiers. Based on a qualitativeapproach and phenomenological design, the study used in-depth interviews,participant observation and Focus Group Discussions to collect the requireddata. The LRA leaders used systematic indoctrination and forced recruitment,instilling fear and dismantling social structures. The experiences included forced participation in violent killings often against their own communities, inhuman punishments, physical abuse, starvation and constant threats of death. Despite demonstrating remarkable resilience, many former child soldiers continue toface significant obstacles, including social stigma and economic hardship. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) strategically abducted children, using violent tactics to ensure dependency. The group systematically dismantled their identities through abuse and ritualised violence, inflicting lasting psychological trauma and social stigma. After the conflict, these former child soldiers face a difficult reintegration, with their trauma fueling a cycle of violence and poverty that destabilises entire communities. A multi-pronged mental health approach for addressing the complex trauma experienced by former child soldiers. Combat social stigma and rejection through structured, community-wide sensitisation and reconciliation initiatives, develop accelerated learning programs to build foundational literacy and numeracy skills, and commission and fund longitudinal studies that track the well-being of survivors and their families over time.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was supported through funding from Building Stronger University (BSU-4) Research Scholarship at Gulu University, which provided financial assistance for research for this publication.
dc.identifier.citationOchen, P., Bosco, O. J., Okello, S. & Alidri, A. (2025). An Inquiry into the Lived Experiences of Child Soldiers within the Lord's Resistance Army Insurgency in Amuru District, 1987-2024. African Journal of History and Geography, 4(1), 223- 233. https://doi.org/10.37284/ajhg.4.1.3319.
dc.identifier.issn2790-7589
dc.identifier.issn2790-7597
dc.identifier.uri10.37284/ajhg.4.1.3319
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14270/802
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherEAST AFRICAN NATURE & SCIENCE ORGANIZATION
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 4, Issue 1, 2025
dc.subjectChild Soldiers
dc.subjectExperiences
dc.subjectLRA
dc.subjectAmuru District
dc.titleAn Inquiry into the Lived Experiences of Child Soldiers within the Lord's Resistance Army Insurgency in Amuru District, 1987-2024
dc.typeArticle

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