I’m going to write about two different stories.
These stories are really shocking for you I guess, so if you don’t want to read them, please stop reading here.
In Uganda, children are caught in the battle between Uganda’s People’s Defense Force (UPDF) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel force, which is committed to overthrowing the Ugandan government and to this end rounds up children from villages it children from villages it raids and forces them to join with them. One 16-year-old girl testified to the cruelties she endured when a boy tried to escape:
“One boy tried to escape, but he was caught. They made him eat a mouthful of red pepper, and five people were beating him. His hands were tied, and then they made us, the other new captives, kill him with a stick. I felt sick. I knew this boy from before. We were from the same village. I refused to kill him, and they told me they would shoot me. They pointed a gun at me, so I had to do it. The boy was asking me, “Why are you doing this?” I said I had no choice. After we killed him, they made us smear blood on our arms. I felt dizzy. They said we had to do this so we would not fear death, and so we would not try to escape.”
-Susan, 16
“The first time I went into battle I was afraid. But after two or three days they forced us to start using cocaine, and then I lost my fear. When I was taking drugs, I never felt bad on the front. Human blood was the first thing I would have every morning. It was my coffee in the morning...every morning.”
-Ibrahim, 16