History Lord's Resistance Army

bantu-speaking agriculturists such baganda people in uganda s south , east developed different , competing social , economic structures nilotic language speaking acholi in north, economic system centred around hunting, farming , livestock herding. ethnic , cultural divisions within uganda continued exist during years of british uganda protectorate, created in 1894. while agricultural baganda people worked closely british, acholi , other northern ethnic groups supplied of national manual labour, , came comprise majority of military. southern region became centre commercial trade development. livestock-raising acholi north of uganda resented dominating army , policing. following country s independence in 1962, uganda s ethnic groups continued compete each other within bounds of uganda s new political system.

in 1986, armed rebellion waged yoweri museveni s national resistance army (nra) won ugandan bush war , achieved control of country. victors sought vengeance against ethnic groups in north of uganda. activities included operation simsim, engaged in burning, looting, , killings of locals.

such acts of violence led formation of rebel groups ranks of previous ugandan army, unla. many of groups made peace museveni. however, southern-dominated army did not stop attacking civilians in north of country. therefore, late 1987 1988, civilian resistance movement led alice lakwena formed.

lakwena did not pick arms against central government; members carried sticks , stones. believed inspired holy spirit of god. lakwena portrayed herself prophet received messages holy spirit, , expressed belief acholi defeat museveni government. preached followers should cover bodies shea nut oil protection bullets, never take cover or retreat in battle, , never kill snakes or bees.

joseph kony later preach similar superstition, encouraging soldiers use oil draw cross on chest protection bullets. during later interview, however, alice lakwena distanced herself kony, claiming spirit not want soldiers kill civilians or prisoners of war.

kony sought align himself lakwena , in turn garner support constituents, going far claim cousins. meanwhile, kony gained reputation having been possessed spirits , became spiritual figure or medium. , small group of followers first moved beyond home village of odek on 1 april 1987. few days later, met group of former uganda national liberation front soldiers black battalion whom managed recruit. launched raid on city of gulu.

by august 1987, lakwena s holy spirit mobile force scored several victories on battlefield , began march towards capital kampala. in 1988, after holy spirit movement decisively defeated in jinja district , lakwena fled kenya, kony seized opportunity recruit holy spirit remnants. lra carried out local attacks underline inability of government protect population. fact national resistance army (nra) government forces, in particular former members of federal democratic movement (fedemo), known lack of discipline , brutal actions meant civilian population accused of supporting rebel lra; likewise, rebels accused population of supporting government army.

in march 1991, ugandan government s nra started operation north, combined efforts destroy lra, while cutting away roots of support among population through heavy-handed tactics. part of operation north, army created arrow groups , village guards armed bows , arrows. creation of arrow groups angered kony, began feel no longer had support of population. after failure of operation north, betty bigombe initiated first face-to-face meeting between representatives of rebel lra , nra government. rebels asked general amnesty combatants , return home , government stance hampered disagreement on credibility of lra negotiators , political infighting. @ meeting in january 1994, kony asked 6 months regroup troops, february tone of negotiations growing increasingly acrimonious , lra broke off negotiations, accusing government of trying entrap them.

starting in mid-1990s, lra strengthened military support government of sudan, retaliating against ugandan government support rebels in become south sudan. lra fought nra army led mass atrocities such killing or abduction of several hundred villagers in atiak in 1995 , kidnapping of 139 schoolgirls in aboke in 1996. government created so-called protected camps beginning in 1996. lra declared short-lived ceasefire duration of ugandan presidential election, 1996, possibly in hope yoweri museveni defeated.

in march 2002, nra, under new name of uganda people s defence force (updf), launched massive military offensive code-named operation iron fist against lra bases in southern sudan, agreement national islamic front. in retaliation, lra attacked refugee camps in northern uganda , eastern equatoria in southern sudan, brutally killing hundreds of civilians. 2004, according updf spokesman shaban bantariza, mediation efforts carter center , pope john paul ii had been spurned kony. in february 2004, lra unit led okot odhiambo attacked barlonyo idp camp, killing on 300 people , abducting many others. in 2006, unicef estimated lra had abducted @ least 25,000 children since conflict began. in january 2006, 8 guatemalan kaibiles commandos , @ least 15 rebels killed in botched un special forces raid targeting lra deputy leader vincent otti in democratic republic of congo.

the conflict forced many civilians live in internally displaced person (idp) camps, such labuje idp camp near kitgum, uganda in 2005

according un office coordination of humanitarian affairs (ocha), lra attacks , government s counter-insurgency measures have resulted in displacement of 95 percent of acholi population in 3 districts of northern uganda. 2006, 1.7 million people lived in more 200 internally displaced person (idp) camps in northern uganda. these camps had of highest mortality rates in world. ugandan ministry of health , partners estimated through first 7 months of 2005, 1,000 people dying weekly, chiefly malaria , aids. during same time period of january–july 2005, lra abducted 1,286 ugandans (46.4 percent of whom children under age of 15 years), , violence accounted 9.4 percent of 28,283 deaths, occurring outside camps.

in 2006–2008, series of meetings held in juba, sudan, between government of uganda , lra, mediated south sudanese separatist leader riek machar. ugandan government , lra signed truce on 26 august 2006. under terms of agreement, lra forces leave uganda , gather in 2 assembly areas in remote garamba national park area of northern democratic republic of congo ugandan government agreed not attack. in december 2008–march 2009, however, armed forces of uganda, dr congo , south sudan launched aerial attacks , raids on lra camps in garamba, destroying them, efforts inflict final military defeat on lra not successful. rather, u.s.-supported operation lightning thunder resulted in brutal revenge attacks scattered lra remnants, on 1,000 people killed , hundreds abducted in congo , south sudan, , hundreds of thousands displaced while fleeing massacres. military action in drc did not result in capture or killing of kony, remained elusive.

during christmas of 2008, lra massacred @ least 143 people , abducted 180 @ concert celebration sponsored catholic church in faradje in democratic republic of congo, , struck several other communities in near-simultaneous attacks: 75 people murdered in church near dungu, @ least 80 killed in batande, 48 in bangadi, , 213 in gurba. august 2009, lra terror in country resulted in displacing many 320,000 congolese, exposing them threat of famine, according unicef director ann veneman. same month, lra attacked catholic church in ezo, south sudan, on feast of assumption, reports of victims being crucified, causing ugandan archbishop john baptist odama call on international community in finding peaceful solution crisis. in december 2009, lra forces under dominic ongwen killed @ least 321 civilians , abducted 250 others during four-day rampage in village , region of makombo in dr congo. in february 2010, 100 people massacred lra in kpanga, near dr congo s border central african republic , sudan. small-scale attacks continued daily, displacing large numbers of people , worsening ongoing humanitarian crisis un described 1 of worst in world. may 2010, lra killed on 1,600 congolese civilians , abducted more 2,500. between september 2008 , july 2011, group, despite being down few hundred fighters, has killed more 2,300 people, abducted more 3,000, , displaced on 400,000 across dr congo, south sudan , central african republic.

in march 2012, uganda announced head new four-nation african union military force (a brigade of 5,000, including contingents dr congo, central african republic , south sudan) hunt down kony , remnants of lra, asked more international assistance task force. in 2012 lra reported in djema, central african republic forces pursuing lra withdrew in april 2013 after government of central african republic overthrown séléka coalition rebels.