Uganda

For the past two decades the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group has threatened communities in northern Uganda and across central Africa by targeting civilians and abducting thousands of children. Even though the LRA is small in numbers (less than 1.500 members), their attacks have wreaked havoc on the region and caused massive internal civilian displacement.

In 2005 the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for LRA leader Joseph Kony and top commanders on charges including war crimes. In response to the warrants the LRA left northern Uganda and established bases in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The LRA has been largely inactive in Uganda since a Cessation of Hostilities agreement was signed in August 2006. This agreement was a component of broader peace talks between the Ugandan government and LRA which culminated in a final agreement in April 2008. The peace process came to a halt when Kony refused to sign the final document and instead began consolidating forces in DR Congo.

Current context

Since September, 2008 the LRA has attacked villages in northeastern DR Congo. Uganda launched a military offensive, Operation Lightning Thunder, in December 2008 aimed at apprehending Kony and other top commanders. The LRA responded by ordering attacks on civilians, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more.

Northern Uganda itself is currently trapped in a precarious “no peace, no war” environment. While major attacks by the LRA ended in 2005, the failure to reach a peace agreement leaves the people of northern Uganda feeling vulnerable and insecure. The Ugandan government is closing IDP camps and forcing civilians to return home, despite an absence of social services, a lack of local government capacity, and a fragile security situation. Further, transitional justice mechanisms are needed to provide healing and reconciliation in the region.