Reintegration of Formerly Abducted Persons in Northern Uganda, Gulu: A Case Study of Gulu Support the Children Organization (GUSCO)

A number of in-depth qualitative studies have been undertaken to document especially the predicament, and on a few cases, the success stories associated with former captives of the LRA f on return. While some case of handy progress have been pointed in light of reintegration in Northern Uganda, it has been shown that majority face an unprecedented problems ranging from animosity from the community on an apparent reason that they were perpetuators of violence; physical and psychological health problems; missed educational and livelihood opportunities. Despite the thorough knowledge on the nature of the successes and difficulties, no major attempt has been made to estimate the scale of the success or problems among the FAPs in Northern Uganda. Using GUSCO as a case study and adopting both qualitative and quantitative techniques, the author constructs a framework that integrates education, community acceptance, good health and livelihood opportunities to evaluate and numerically estimate the number of those who have successfully reintegrated. The study points to a limited number of FAPs (18.4%) as successful, while the majority (48.8%) as possible cases of breakdown in reintegration. The rest are those considered to be progressing towards full recovery. Further, the paper reflects why some FAPs have been more successful than the others, focusing particularly on the circumstances surrounding the individuals rather than the general problem that affects them all.