Rebuilding relationships to end war in northern Uganda and southern Sudan
Twenty one years of civil war between the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government has caused great suffering to people living in northern Uganda, especially the Acholis. The LRA also operate in southern Sudan.
Conciliation Resources is working with local organizations and people to peacefully end the war there. By strengthening their efforts we can help them identify and deal with the issues that have fueled and prolonged the conflict.
The LRA’s ultimate goal is to overthrow President Museveni’s government in Kampala but it usually targets civilians in the country’s north. Lacking popular support, it abducts children to use as fighters against their own people. More than 20,000 children have been abducted.
Meanwhile Uganda’s army, the Ugandan People’s Defence Force (UPDF), seeks to destroy the LRA by military force. Many abducted children have been killed. Additionally, since 1996 the war has displaced people from their homes. They live in makeshift camps, far from their land and livelihoods. Most are traumatized and depend on food aid.
In Uganda, the Acholi districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader and some neighbouring areas have borne the brunt of the conflict while large parts of southern Sudan have been increasingly affected.
In recent years the dynamics of the conflict have been changing. An amnesty law passed in Uganda after pressure from civil society organizations and the international community has given those abducted by the LRA the change to return to their communities without being prosecuted for their crimes. Thousands have come home, encouraged by communities who long for peace. The UPDF have destroyed LRA bases in Sudan, and the relative peace in the south of the country has provided a more stable context for positive contacts.
In July 2006, talks began between the LRA and the Government of Uganda based in Juba, Southern Sudan. These provide the best hope for a settlement in recent times. In the period of calm that has followed communities are seeking to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.