Jale from northern Uganda

" When people were asleep at midnight about 50 armed Karamajong came. They surrounded the village and they started attacking by burning the huts. 58 people died that night in the attack. They came to revenge the deaths of just two of their fighters. Only one old man died over 35 were women and the rest were children. Many were burned in their houses but a few who managed to run away were shot.

I managed to escape the burning and the shooting and hid in mountain cave. I was shot in my hand. All my family were killed in the attack, my wives and all my children. The eldest was 15 years old, the others were 13, 8, 5 and 3 years old. The youngest was only 6 months.

Life now is so difficult. I am unable to come back to that terrible place, even in the daytime, its too traumatising for me. Before the attack I had everything, now I have nothing, borrowing what I can from relatives.

Before the Karamagong had so many guns there was no problem between us. They would come in the dry season with their animals and leave again when the rains came. They would exchange their livestock for our food. When they acquired guns, they were killing people and that changed everything.
If they still come here with guns it is very difficult for life to come back but if they can come here without guns, life is again possible."