Conflict in Sudan: John Bakoyego, a teenager who escaped abduction

John Bakoyego, 14 years Credits: Bridget Burrows/CAFOD

John Bakoyego, 14 years
Credits: Bridget Burrows/CAFOD

That day, I was sent to the village with my uncle. When we reached it, we didn’t see anyone. But the LRA were sitting under the granary watching. My uncle saw them but didn’t say anything, and he started to run, but he ran in the wrong direction. I ran too. They caught him and I managed to escape because their attention was on catching him.

They were kicking him down, he was crying, and when I was running I could still hear his cries. He was 12 years old. I was afraid I would also be arrested. I ran into the bush, the LRA still following me, but I was running faster. I ran past a place where we had hidden some items in the bush in case of an LRA attack – a jerrycan, plates and saucepans – and they started to take those items and forgot about me.

After leaving them, I went through another deep bush and crossed a stream, and I met two ladies and told them, but they didn’t believe me. But then they realised that the LRA were following, so we all started to run, then we met more people and the LRA were afraid to follow us more. The people we had met escorted us to my grandfather. I really miss my uncle, I still think about him

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