The power of our choices: from war-torn childhood to Nobel Peace Prize nominee

The Lid is On

A Ugandan man, some of whose family and friends were abducted in the East African country, tells the story of his journey from war-torn childhood to becoming the youngest ever African nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Victor Ochen grew up in northern Uganda at a time when the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, was terrorising the region with violent abductions, forced child soldier recruitment, and widespread atrocities against civilians.

For 21 years the focus of his life was survival, struggling to find enough to eat in a variety of internal displacement camps.

To mark International Youth Day, UN News’ Julia Foxen spoke to Mr. Ochen about how his choice of nonviolence at only 13 forever transformed his life, highlighting the immense vulnerability of youth in conflict zones alongside their potential to transform the future of society.