From Ambush to Rescue: Nansubuga’s Daring Escape After 13 Years in ADF Captivity

By Ivan Kaahwa

For nearly 13 years, Nansubuga, a Muganda by tribe, has navigated the challenges of survival amidst rebels in the thickets of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thirteen years ago, she and 11 others including 7 boys were clandestinely transported in a drone, falsely claiming a visit to their grandparents if questioned along the way. The journey led them to a camp in Congo, where they encountered various Sheikhs who imposed lessons. At just 8 years old, Nansubuga was assigned a husband.

During this period, they endured beatings, meager sustenance, and Nansubuga vividly recalls being ordered to commit murder but courageously refused. In consequence, she endured 500 lashes and was assigned the task of supplying food to the rebels. Nansubuga had multiple partners, one of whom perished, while Jaafari is the father of her only child. When her child fell ill, she sought her husband’s aid, inadvertently falling into a UPDF ambush at around 8 am. This marked her rescue from the 13-year ordeal in the bush.

Since their rescue, Nansubuga and other survivors have been under army care, recently attending a session at Rwakitura where President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni addressed national security matters. President Museveni implored the ADF to cease their resistance, emphasizing the high costs incurred by the UPDF for equipment, machinery, and fuel. He asserted that these resources could be better employed for constructive purposes if the ADF abandoned their pursuit of imposing Sharia law in Uganda.”I am urging ADF to stop wasting time because survival is impossible. They are easily spotted due to their lack of warfare knowledge,” stated Museveni.

He highlighted that of the ten individuals terrorizing Uganda, seven have been eliminated, and one captured, dismissing the notion that ADF remnants could force UPDF retreat by orchestrating atrocities in Uganda. The offensive against ADF culminated from strategic patience until 2021, when DRC President Felix Tshisekedi permitted Ugandan forces to dismantle the ADF in Congo.“If ADF had common sense, they would have realized their survival was implausible. ADF lacks crucial information; they are deceiving themselves,” Museveni declared.

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