Rebuilding relationships to end war in northern Uganda and southern Sudan
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to see the areas where we work.Twenty-two 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 and southern Sudan.
Peace talks between the LRA and the Ugandan government began in July 2006 in Juba, southern Sudan and have continued into 2008. These provide the best hope for a settlement in recent times. Communities are slowly rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.
Conciliation Resources works with local partners and people to end war peacefully. By strengthening their efforts we can help them 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 has abducted more than 20,000 children since the mid-1980s to use as fighters against their own people.
Meanwhile the Ugandan People’s Defence Force (UPDF), has sought to destroy the LRA by military means. Many abducted children have been killed. The war has also displaced over 1.7 million people from their homes since 1996. Many still 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 gave those abducted by the LRA the chance to return to their communities without prosecution for their crimes. Thousands have come home, encouraged by those who long for peace.