KITGUM, 8 February (IRIN) - Jane (not her real name), 45, comes from Kitgum District, Amida Sub County in northern Uganda. She is a mother of six. Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who have waged a 21-year-old war in the region, abducted one of her sons in June 1988 as he hid in the bush with three friends. His friends were freed but her son remained in the rebels' custody because he was older. Jane has had no news of his fate, whether he is alive or dead.

Jane is a warm and cheerful person. Despite the cramped conditions in the camp for internally displaced persons that has been home for the past three years, her space is neat and tidy. But sitting in the shade of her hut, Jane broke down and cried at the memory of her lost son:

"I am so sad, I don't know if my son is dead or alive. I just live with the hope that he may return one day. Every day I wake up and see my other children, how they have made progress in their studies and grown up, it just makes me even sadder for him. It is not easy for me. He would be 22 years old today.

"I support the peace talks [between the LRA and the Ugandan government, which began in mid-2006 in Juba, southern Sudan] to push for peace. Maybe once the peace talks are over, I may be able to hear something about my son. I might even see him alive although I have heard no news for all these years. I still pray and hope for the best.

"I am afraid to return home with the rebels still in the bush. I have an appeal to the government and rebels - on behalf of all women like me whose children are prisoners of this war, I would ask the rebels to come home and seek forgiveness from the people so that we can start a new life free of war and violence. I would also advise them to leave the past behind and look forward to building a better tomorrow."

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