HART Prize for Human Rights
Fact Sheet – Uganda
Summary
Almost a century long British colonial rule left Uganda with many unresolved internal conflicts and uneven socio-economic relations after its 1962
independence. Since then the East African country has experienced, among many uprisings, one of the worst civil wars in the late 1980s, 1990s
and early 2000s. LRA soldiers were forced to kill, loot, maim, torture, even their own family members – keeping the whole civilian population in
constant fear and mistrust. After the 2008 ceasefire in the more than 1.6 million displaced people many are still forced to live in often
overcrowded IDP camps. Reconciliation is difficult both for returning soldiers and for their communities given the mutual wounds that they have
suffered.
HART’s partner in Uganda is the PAORINHER project.
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History
The Republic of Uganda is an East African country, a territory
which had been under British colonial rule since the late 1800s
before finally gaining independence in 1962.
Since then the land has seen many conflicts, the root of which
lies in uneven social and economic development of regions
leading to violent conflicts and the marginalisation of
minorities by government and the powerful elites.
The Uganda People’s Defence Force (previously known as
National Resistance Army) led by current President Yoweri
Museveni seized power in 1986.
Corruption and incompetence on behalf of the UPDF gave rise
to various resistance movements, the most prevalent and
brutal of which was the Joseph Kony led Lord’s Resistance
Army, which became known for the variety of terrible abuses
it committed against civilians. Thousands have been brutally
murdered, tortured, mutilated or abducted. In 2005 the ICC
issued warrants against Kony and 4 other commanders.
The Juba peace talks between 2006 and 2008 finally led to a
ceasefire agreement between the government and the LRA
that had already been pushed out of Uganda by then. The
LRA, being actively present only in neighbouring countries,
such as South Sudan, the DRC, CAR, has left the country with
poverty, destroyed infrastructure, widespread fear and
mistrust.
Conflict between the LRA and the government
2016 marks 30 years of President Yoweri Museveni’s rule.
The 20-30 year old conflict between the government and the
LRA is rooted in unresolved socio-economic tensions from
British colonial times.
Joseph Kony’s infamous Lord’s Resistance Army has received
international attention for the extensive human rights
violations and crimes committed against children and women.
Kony was portrayed as a spiritual leader. Without a clear
political agenda apart from the aim to establish a government
based on the ten biblical commandments, the LRA did not
intend to win hearts and minds, but brutally targeted civilians.
At least 25,000 children were abducted and trained to
become child soldiers. They were forced to kill, maim, beat,
abduct, loot and torture even their own family members or
members of their own communities. This generated
widespread fear and mistrust among the civilian population.
At least 44,000 people are estimated to have become night
commuters, which means they travelled back and forth
between their home villages and safe shelters to spend the
night every day. 1.6 million people were displaced, many of
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whom continue to live in overcrowded IDP camps with poor
water, sanitation and health. Thousands of women and young
girls are reported to have been victims of sexual violence.
In 1999 Ugandan authorities announced amnesty for
returning LRA soldiers and in 2005 the ICC issued warrants
against Kony. The leaders were charged with crimes against
humanity and war crimes, including murder, rape, and sexual
slavery.
Humanitarian situation
Following the 2008 ceasefire Uganda is relatively peaceful.
There are still, however, a great many living in IDP camps
under terrible conditions. Thousands of families have lost
their relatives, their homes and their hopes.
The reintegration of LRA captives into society also poses a
serious problem both to the government and the civilian
population. Many difficulties were reported by returning LRA
soldiers, such as health problems, exclusion, stigmatisation
and psychological issues when dealing with all the atrocities
they have been forced to commit, while communities were
also reluctant to welcome former LRA soldiers back - out of
fear.
Both NGOs and the government of Uganda have set up
reception centres to mediate between soldiers and their
communities and prepare both parties for the return, but
their services are limited and often thought to be
underfunded.
To learn more, visit:
War Child: the LRA : http://www.warchild.org.uk/issues/thelords-resistance-army
‘Violence, Reconciliation and Identity The Reintegration of the
Lord's Resistance Army Child Abductees in Northern Uganda’:
http://www.africaportal.org/dspace/articles/violencereconciliation-and-identity-reintegration-lords-resistancearmy-child
Child Soldiers International: A case study of children abducted
by the Lord’s Resistance Army :http://childsoldiers.org/psychosocial_report_reader.php?id=302
For more information, please contact [email protected], or visit www.hart-uk.org/locations/uganda.
To enter the competition, please visit www.hart-uk.org/about-you/humanrightsprize.