Flavia: child of the jungle
Santa (the girl on the left) was only 11 years old when she was abducted from her home in Gulu. It was 6th January 1994. From the beginning, she was initiated into the rituals of the Lord’s Resistance Army. She had to watch how her disobedient partners in misfortune were beaten to death with sticks and stones. Not only to scare them, but also to turn them into merciless murderers.
It did not take long before Santa had learnt her lesson. In the following months, she would take part in endless raids, destructions and abductions.
After 10 months, Santa was taken to Sudan, where she received military training. Immediately after her arrival, Santa became one of commander Bunia’s ‘wives’. The following 9 years, she would be one of his 7 sex slaves. Santa hated the rapes and the beatings the most.
On 3rd January, Flavia, one of Bunia’s 28 children, was born. Flavia would grow up as a child of the jungle. She ate insects, wild fruits and leaves. If there was no water, she would drink urine.
As a baby, she was strapped to her mother’s back, who, armed with a machine-gun, attacked the surrounding villages to loot food. As a child, she had to flee time after time, when the Ugandan government troops and the Sudanese rebels attacked and destroyed their camps with tanks.
In a world of gunfire, bombs and slaughter, Flavia was Bunia’s little princess. He brought her presents from his raids: colourful dresses, and beads for earrings. Flavia was the darling pet of the rebel leaders. The rituals and laws that killed other people, did not apply to her. Flavia was allowed to do anything. In June 2002, their camp was attacked again and they had to hide in the Imatong mountains. They were bombed day after day. One night they managed to break through the lines and re-enter Uganda. In Bunia’s wake, mother and daughter left a trail of death and destruction throughout Northern Uganda for more than a year. Escape was impossible. Bunia constantly kept an eye on them. And Santa was convinced that the government army would kill them after all the things they had done.
On 10th October 2003, a bullet struck Santa in the arm. She dragged herself to the bushes where she hid for a long time. Flavia used a piece of cloth to tie off her profusely bleeding arm. Santa was so afraid of the government army that she even tried to run away when they found her. Once again, Flavia saved her life. The presence of a child prevented the soldiers from shooting.
The first night after their liberation, before they would be taken to the hospital in Gulu, Santa and Flavia were sitting in a restaurant in Lira, like creatures from a different planet. Chicken? Pork? Fanta? Cola? No, Flavia had never heard of it before. She did not even know the word "school"? But she was still behaving like Bunia’s little princess. With her colourful dress and beads for earrings, she frolicked through the restaurant, not inhibited by laws or customs. Because Flavia, child of the jungle, was allowed to do anything she liked.
(Nowadays, Flavia and Santa are going back to school thanks to our Childsoldiers sponsoring programme)