The
civil war in the small East African nation of Uganda has now caused the country
more than twenty years of unrest and turmoil. Its origins are political, with
various confrontational factions claiming they are oppressed by the current
government, headed by President Yoweri Museveni. However, the war has spawned
social and economic problems as well; some groups have been targeted more
heavily than others, and the two decades of unrest have left the country’s
economy in shambles. The two primary groups opposing the Government of Uganda
(GOU) are the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Lord’s Resistance Army
(LRA), the latter of which has been more active in recent years. What separates
this civil war from others is the lack of resources on the sides of both the
government and the rebels, and the government’s failed military involvement and
use of protection camps in the crisis. Perhaps, however, the most brutal and
divisive attribute to this war apart from others is the unrelenting and
murderous use of child soldiers. The Ugandan civil war began in the early to
mid-1980s; however, it did not truly intensify until the mid-1990s. This first
portion of the war left hundreds dead and nearly half a million homeless from
rebellions against the government. (“Uganda Civil War.”)Multiple bombings
occurred in 1998 and 1999, and eight foreigners were killed in theBwindi
National Forest. (“Uganda Civil War.”) Brutal attacks on villages, schools, and
government-established internally displaced persons (IDP) camps continued in to
the new millennium. All the while, the Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader
Joseph Kony began recruiting children to fight their battles, creating a
generation not only torn apart by war, by fighting it themselves, more often
than not, against their will. (“Uganda Civil War.”)After several failed
military strategies, the government looked in the direction of diplomacy. In
2003, the Lord’s Resistance Army declared a cease-fire and wanted to talk with
the government. The group said that it would stop all “ambushes, abductions,
and attacks;” (“Uganda Civil War.”) unfortunately, these terms were
unfulfilled, and it continued to bring violence and chaos to the regions of
Gulu, Pader, and Kitgum. In a final military attempt, Sudan allowed Ugandan
forces to enter and flush out and LRApresence hiding in the neighboring
country. President Museveni desperately wanted to talk to LRA leaders and even
suggested the talks be mediated by religious leaders. However, the terror
continued. By 2003, the United Nations had named the Uganda crisis “among the
worst on the planet,” (“Uganda Civil War.”) and increased influence from both
the UN and UNICEF helped to quell the violence.
………By
Faith Gabriella.
