I am Lourence Odong Obura II; youth councilor in Odek sub county council, I would like to appeal to my brothers and sisters in the bush. My brothers, you come home! It is not good to keep doing the same thing forever; it is well written even in the bible that everything has the beginning and the end. We went through very difficult times and now we are experiencing peace. Come home so that we may join hands for development. Now as I talk, many nations are becoming richer in the name of Acholi. What are you thinking about? Come home to rebuild our culture eroded due to the war. Come so that we may develop our land like any other part of the world. In our land we used to play different games like “cubu lawala”, football, and we could go hunting and many other practices according to our culture. All these have been eroded. Just do us a favour and come home. I would like to send my message to Okello Powel; my uncle’s son and one of my uncles called Jimmy Carter, wherever you are, come back home if you receive this message. Home is now find, your brothers and sisters who are at home sends you greetings. Come back home.

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My name is Pauline Achan; chairperson LC I of Akoyo village. As a mother, I will not talk much but I do appeal to you my children who are still in the bush that today if you hear my voice, you should not have any doubt. Some people used to say the people whose voices are played on radio are all dead but today I am speaking from home in odek and for you, who are still alive, you should hear me. Moses the son of Jackson stayed in the bush for eight years but he is now farming together with us here at home without any problem. Now Lucore, I used to call you Lucore, if you are still alive please come home. Joseph Kony, you know me very well, I am the daughter of ObonyoSione and I am your cousin. If you can hear me now please come back home because home is very good, girls have become tailors, others are builders and others are doing different useful work. Come back home because I am sure even you were abducted against your will. Thank you.

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My name is OnekalitSalim, the chairman LCI in Odek Centre. I would like to talk to our children who are still in the bush. I want you to know that I also had my own child with you in the bush. He was forcefully abducted against his will but due to God’s own mercy he came back home and he is very happy at home. When he was abducted he was in P4 but now he has made it to senior four and he will join advance level of education soon. He was welcomed and there is nothing like killing in case you come out. If my son was not here with me I would not tell you lie. But the truth is that my son is back at home and living a good life. I know one of my brother’s sons is still in the bush. Your name is Alung and if you are alive, come back home, take example of your brother who is back at school and almost making it to the university and what are you still waiting for? There is no discrimination here, you have not initiated the war but the people who started it are misleading you for nothing. Just come back home. Thank you.

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My name is Okello Jaccheau, I have been a great warier with Joseph Kony starting in 1987 to 1989 and Joseph Kony knows me very well because I stayed very closely with him as a radio call operator, and so I would like to appeal to you Kony, you know my level when I was with you. You abducted me when I was in P7 and I worked with you well as we were connecting with those who were in Kenya. So I now ask you to think about the future, for me I came back and finished my O’level education and I finish PTC and have been a teacher for ten years before I join politics and became Vice chairman LC III. My experience tells me that war is very bad. I personally fought in Bwobo, I fought in Cwero and these places are developing very slowly and for this reason, I want to appeal to you to let that be the last of its nature. Joseph Kony, think about the people back at home. Development is coming and we should all be part of it. Very good schools have been built in places like Layoko, Omelkuru and the rest but children are still afraid because as long as you are still in the bush, no child will peacefully accept to go to such village schools. The rich are paying their children in Kampala schools but it is only those who cannot afford are the ones sending their children to such village schools. If you see Binya health centre now as I talk, you won’t believe your eyes. The road have been made in such a way that you walk without any dew giving you problem. They made a very clean road stretching from Labora to Orapwoyo and to Acet with a bridge. Who should use these roads if not all of us? Agriculture is developing and there are a lot of government programs like NAADS which we should all benefit from. But if there is still war, all these will not be possible. For this reason therefore, I do not have a lot to discuss but I would like to appeal to Joseph Kony because I know he is the only one left who know me. I am not sure about the existence of the rest of the people I stayed within the bush. So I really appeal to Kony and his entire associates to come home and focus on development. Actually Odek is lagging behind in terms of development because of this war. Thank you.

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My name is Okello Anthony, I would like to request Omony; the brother inlaw to Okello Adyed and Odong of Patongo. Abonga has come back home, even Okecha managed to come back home and the rest of the people are back home. If you are still alive, please come back home because it is now not useful for you to continue staying in the bush. Okello Adyed is alive but it is only unfortunate that your mother has passed away. You Odong and Omony, Abonga, Okeha and Ocaya were abducted together on the same though others were killed but the two of you who have remained in the bush must come back home in case you are still alive.

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I am Odong Angelo, and I would like to appeal to you Oringa if you are still there alive in the bush that we really want you to come back home because the work you are doing there is not useful. Look, your mother is now very weak and even I do not have any strength. Try your best to surrender and report to government army so that you may eventually reach home because we are now very weak. We are really worried about you. Even if you are very far away, try your best to find your way home whether through the government because you did not go to the bush willingly but you were forcefully taken. We are here though very weak. You mother is crying for you every day and this is what I have to tell you. You should also think about us because years has passed without seeing any tangible result of what you are doing and so it is better for you to come home and we stay together. Oringa, I know you were abducted when you were with your aunt, but you should not now over worry yourself about it. Your aunt is also very weak now. Your friends like Ador and Ocaya are really worried about you and these were your friends you used to live with, so you should come back home. Anek your aunt and her husband Amen are all very well and staying in OmelKuru, even opio your nephew is very worried about you because he also came back home long time ago. Thank you.

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I am really grateful for the restoration of “Come Home Radio Program”, my name is Lakoc pa Oyoo of Palaro Parish in Odek sub county. I am the councilor for Palaro parish in odek sub county council. I am particularly thankful for this program because I am sure it will connect us to our children who are still in the bush. We were really not happy when the program stopped for sometimes because that made our children very far away where we could not reach them, but now that the program is back on air, we are grateful. The first thing I would like to tell our children in the bush is that there is no problem at home. Not the government, not even anybody from home will harm you because you will be warmly welcomed. If it were not like that some of us shouldn’t have been alive up to now because we came back at the time when amnesty law was none existent. But instead we were welcomed and we are enjoying our lives without any hindrance from anybody. I would like to tell you that the home of today is not the same home like at the time you went to the bush. People went to the camps and came back home and you should not think that if you come back home, you will see any camp. You will stay in a peaceful home and that gives us the courage to say openly that you should come back home. There are quite a number of things that make life at home wonderful. For instance if you look at schools, they are wonderful. And this has empowered anybody who wants to further his or her education to do so and this has made life very easy. And so I appeal to you our children to come back home and we stay together with you. I am so grateful.

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I am your sister Gabriella Lakot speaking. I would like to know if you; Joseph Kony will not listen to me for the third or fourth time because I have been coming there several times. And for us we do not have any big problem. The government wouldn’t have buried our mother and father if it was a bad government. We are all living with support of the government. And if it were not because of the government, I wouldn’t be speaking up to now. Take it from me that this is a good government and I would like to appeal to you my brother that you should come back home. I would like you to know that we also have some problems because I am the one looking after the very many orphaned children on my own and you also know that our brother Oluma had a motor accident and he has no energy to support us. This is what make me sad, if you listen to me my brother, I am Gabriella Lakot praying to God to change your heart so that you may come back home. I do not want to talk a lot but I only insist that you should come back home. Thank you.

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My name is Buladina Opoka, I would like to request you Peter if at all you are still alive to come back home. Christine you sister was also killed, even your younger brother Patrick died of sickness, Anna your sister was also killed when she was already a teacher and I am left with only your sister Jennet and Julu and I don’t have any person to help me, I have the orphaned children of Patrick I am taking care of them but I see other people’s children who have come back home are being cared for very well. Just do me a favor and come back home. You can surrender and come through Brother Santo Okema and if you do that, you can call me through phone and together with Chairman Ojara Martine Mapenduzi, we can get you wherever you will be because he has taken one of the orphaned children of Patrick and is paying his school fees. So I am sure if you follow my guide then he will bring you home. Secondly, I really beg you because you also know that you were born in a Christian family and you can trust me. You can report to the government army; UPDF who will bring you straight to Chairman Mapenduzi. Just mention the name of Mapenduzi and no one will kill you and you will be handed over to him and tell him that you are the son of BuladinaOpoka of bardege in Gulu High, Mican. Ayoli the son of Laker and Aleo has also returned from the bush and he is at home and he is working as a soldier with the UPDF but all your former schoolmates are married with children and are supporting their parents but for me I am alone. You left when I was suffering from asthma and this has made me very weak and I may also die any time. You should come and look after your late brothers’ children. Even your father is in Kitgum and ever since he never surfaced home, so please my son come back home when I am still alive so that I may tell you about issues at home.

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I am Bosco Ocaya Adebe; the LC III Chairman, I want to tell you about amazing things happening here at home. I want to tell you Joseph kony our son. You know me very well and we studied together with you in Odek. When you were in P 4, I was in P7. This gives me hope that if you receive this message from me, come back home because we shall make your life excellent. As the sub county officials, we will work together with the district to guarantee your safety. We have the right to talk even to the president because we don’t consider you a criminal. Even if you were a criminal, you might have committed the crime unknowingly. Now we ask you to come back home just like you released other children who are now at home. Continue to release them. We really thank you for releasing them and we are also waiting to warmly welcome you. Thank you very much.

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My name is Arach Christine, even from the bush I was called the same name which has never changed. I would like to send a message to you Labwone and I am sure you remember me so well. I was the wife to Onyac Lapeko.

Labwone I want to ask you to come home because I have been made aware that you are still alive and you should also know that your wife Flo is still alive. The other day I met her with the children in town, we greeted ourselves and they are doing so well.

My son called Ocan; the one I came with from the bush have grown big and he is now in senior two and studying so well because I am being supported to pay his school fee since his father is now dead.

Boxing is also back at home though his eyes were destroyed from the bush. The other day I met him in the bank though he couldn’t see but he has money. He purchased a motorcycle on which he is driven to town to pick his money and he is really looking very healthy.

Lamola, I stayed with you in the bush and you witnessed the kind of curfew I went through while in the bush and you will taste it if you insist to stay there.

When I was rescured by the UPDE during a battle field none of you thought I was taken alive. I evel left my son Ocan and collected him later. To confirm to you that I am still alive, I met Onen who baptized my son and you can ask him. I remember that day you decided to take away my son but later sympathized and left him. Why don’t you also come home with your own children and have a good life? You won’t believe your eyes if you see how Ocan has grown into a big boy. By the way I am farming on your farmland and all my children are at school.

There has never been a case where a defector is killed after returning home but we are all well. I want to give you an example of Adong Molly who defected with her children, they are fine. She is now a tailor and has a restaurant in Paibona trading centre and we are all togather. I still confirm to you that I Arach Christine is alive and doing well and my only appeal to you is that you should come back home. Thank you.

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I am Angee Florence from Patiko Pabwo, the daughter to Okwonga Jackson. Oyoo Benjamin I ask you in case you are still alive to come and see your brothers Opio and Ocii. My brother I really beg you to come back home.

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My name is Aloyoto Filder; A Youth Councilor in Awach Sub County. I was abducted in 2006 and returned in 2007.

I was very anxious when I just came back home because of the lies told to me when I was still in the bush that I would be killed when I defect, but sincerely nothing of that nature was done to me and am still alive to date.

When we escaped at that time, we were delivered at Caribbean public ground from where our parents collected us.

While in the bush, I stayed with Ojok Mingweno, a man from Padibe and his wife Adong Nancy known by the name min-tuke who produced twins.

I lost touch with all these people when UPDF rescued us from Laguti and they remained in the bush.

I would like to particularly appeal to you Ojok Mingweno if you are still alive because I stayed with you as a babysitter when I was still young. Come with all your children and go to your home in Padibe and focus development. You will find your parents still alive and they will give you support to do whatever you want to do. If you want to go back to school or start doing some handwork, all is up to you. In fact there are so many good things you can do. You never planned to go to the bush but you were forcefully taken to the bush and you should not be afraid that you will be punish for whatever you did while in the bush because you were forced to do it.

I want to send the same message to Anywar Monday whom we were abducted together. I want you to be informed that I am here alive and nobody punished me. The same will apply to you if you come home. My message also goes to Acayo Susan; you remember you took good care of me and covered me at night when I was feeling cold. Come back home because you will be employed to do other valuable things here at home. All we were told from the bush were lies. I am now making table cloth in a group and we are making money, so please come home. Thank you.

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My name is Akidi Florence and I would like to send my voice to you Otong. I was told you have changed your name and you are now called Ocakacon. Have mercy for yourself because nothing wrong has ever been done to any of the people who defected from the bush.

You nephew, Ojok returned and he is very healthy and has completed his advance level of education and working.

All your brothers are staying in your home in Kanyagoga, they are all boda boda riders except that your mother is now very week and all your wives that you sent home are here without problems. One came back with two children and another with one child and all of them are healthy.

I want you to come home and bear me witness that the rumors that when you come home them you will be killed is a complete lie.

The government came up with a policy that stops people from stigmatizing returnees and instead you may be offered a job or if you want to go to school and continue with your studies you are free to do so.

Almost everybody is praying that you should come home because those who returned and went through skill trainings are now well off. Do not be deceived because of the rank you have in the bush because it make no sense for you to have the rank and not be able to see your parents, your children and wives.

You should respect my words because I am your aunt. Come home and look after your wives and pay school fees for your children yourself.

You should know that your father has left teaching because of his medical condition; unfortunately he has not started receiving his pension.

I am now a leader in Awach and am very healthy. I have always been meeting your brothers and why don’t you also come home so that we may be together?

Your nephew who came back home through world vision is now well-off and why don’t you also come and develop your fathers; Emanuel Odoch’s home?

I now pray that your heart may change after hearing my voice so that you may come home and meet your mother when she is still alive.

Do not waste any little time in the bush because nobody will kill you, instead your colleagues who came are being taken very good care of more that people who never went to the bush.

Finally I want to thank you and ask you to come home to look after your children and your wives.

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I am mzee Martin Okidi Oluma of Odek, I would like to send my voice to my son Joseph Kony so that he may listen and come back home. Back at home we have no big problem and the president gave us a lot of support when we lost the parents of Kony and that’s what makes me confident that the president does not have any bad heart at all. I only beg my son to find a way to get in touch with me so that I may meet him and tell him the truth of the matter. And for all of us in Odek, we are very happy for the prevailing peace in our land. People are very free to move anywhere even at night except that we are worried about you and the children you have in the bush and we ask you to come out of the bush so that we may enjoy together. Please listen to me your father Martin Okidi Oluma of Odek sub-county. Thanks.

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My name is Ottober Mario, a religious leader in Odek Chapel. I became a religious leader way back in 1986 and today I am here to send a message so that it may be heard all over the world and that is regarding the LRA war which have crossed borders to Congo and Central African Republic. The message I want to send is that God created us to know him, to love him and that if we leave this world, we may go to glorify him for eternity. I want to appeal to you our children that you should know that war is bad and it destroys home. Back at home here we really have you at heart; we have not rejected you at all and we are more than ready to welcome you back home. Let no one deceive you that if you come home than you may be killed. There is a phrase in the bible that says “If someone disappears from home for a reason in his heart, and when he decides to come back home then he should be welcomed”. In the same way God will always welcome us even when we sin against him. For this reason you should also come back home because we don’t hate you. The only thing we want from you is for you to come back and witness the level of development we are experiencing today after a few years without war. Even in that place where you are operating, if you leave war you will experience big development and we sincerely want you to come back home we are practicing agriculture at a high level and we are doing a lot of other things that makes us happy and we also want you to come and share this happiness with us. But if you don’t come then our home will be destroyed. Even our brother Kony, nobody hates you, pray for forgiveness because you did not choose to go to the bush. We grew up with you and we shall be very happy if you come back home. God can forgive anyone who seeks forgiveness. Even me who is a religious leader do sin before God but I repent and God always forgive me. This is the message I want to share with you but if you don’t want to listen to anybody, then what shall we do? Come back home! You have witnessed how the religious leaders struggled for peace because when there is peace life becomes easy. But if there is no peace people live in pain which is not good and that’s why we request you to come back home. We have plenty of land for cultivation. There will come a time when there will be no land for you and how shall you manage this? Come back now when you still have land because it won’t be good if you come tomorrow when there is no land for you. I don’t have much to say but I leave it to God to open up your heart so that you may make a good decision to come back home. I will be very grateful if my message is heard all over the world. I am Ottober Mario from Odek Chapel. Thank you.

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My name is Ocan Jimmy Luwala, the chief of Puranga. I am hearing very pertinent issues coming up regarding peace matters. My appeal to everybody is that we should join hands together as the people of Acholi in the struggle for peace that we started sometimes back but ended on the way. I also would like to appeal to the government of Uganda to restore the amnesty act. This is because when the amnesty act was fully operational, many of our children who were abducted came out of the bush and are staying well. I also want to thank the government of Uganda for the restoration of the cultural institutions to its original position. So, as cultural leaders of Acholi, we would like to appeal to the government to restore the amnesty act so that our children who are still languishing in Sudan and other parts of the world may be free to defect and come home. Even Kony himself should be forgiven so that he may also come back home and stay among us. So amnesty law should not be restrictive but should be open, so when our children in the bush hear about it, they will be eager to defect and come home. Even kony himself may pick interest and come home. With these few remarks, I stop here for God and my country. Thanks.

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