Over 1,000 severely tortured in West, Acholi & Karamoja, says report

By Ivan Tolit

 At least 1,296 people have severely been tortured in West Acholi and Karamoja sub-region by both state and non-state actors since January to date according to a report by The African Centre for Treatment and rehabilitation of torture Victims (ACTV).

The report indicates that out of the  1,296 people tortured, 797 were males while 499 were female victims.

 The victims went through different forms of torture arising from Gender Based Violence (GBV), the disarmament exercise in Karamoja sub region and land conflicts especially the Apaa and Lamwo where government is conflicting with community over land.

Of the 1,296 cases, 418 were reviewed while 878 were new cases of torture.

While addressing journalists on Thursday morning from the Uganda Human Rights Regional Office, Alfred Oketayot, the programs Manager African Centre for Treatment and rehabilitation of torture Victims (ACTV), said majority of the victims survived with life changing injuries and some developed mental problems as result of what they have gone through.

According to Oketayot, the victims were mainly men because the perpetrators targeted them especially in Karamoja where they believed that it’s the men having guns while in Apaa it was the men who were at the forefront of defending their landd rights.

Oketayot adds that  all the victims are currently undergoing physiological support and receiving medical treatment  across different health facilities in the region.