History
The civil war in northern Uganda has raged now for 22 years, making it one of the world's most neglected humanitarian crises. The complex history of the region is at the root of both the longevity and magnitude of the conflict. It is essentially two separate conflicts: first, the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is waging war against the Ugandan government and terrorizing the civilian population in the north; and second, the deep grievances of northern Ugandans against the existing government.

The war arose out of the divisive political climate that was embedded by British colonialism and perpetuated by post-colonial politics. The British employed a "divide-and-rule" strategy, pitting southerners against northerners to maintain control. Since gaining independence in 1962, Uganda has been marked by continued tribal and regional divisions, most poignantly the North-South divide.

Repression and violence, not limited to the notorious reign of Idi Amin, has been a constant feature of the Ugandan political system. As a result, armed rebellion has been widely accepted as the sole and legitimate means to express political grievances and attain political power. The LRA is only one of many northern groups that have waged war against the government since independence, and must be understood in this context.

The Rise of Joseph Kony and the LRA
Since President Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Army (NRA) took power by military coup in 1986, at least 22 groups have taken up arms against the government. One such rebellion grew under the leadership of Alice Auma Lakwena. Lakwena's Holy Spirit Movement (HSM) was founded to "purify" Acholi society (the major tribe in the North) and liberate the north from the NRA's control. Lakwena was believed to be a spiritual messenger with mystical powers. The HSM received strong support from the northern population. Yet, after winning a series of battles, HSM was overwhelmingly defeated by President Museveni's government in November 1987.

The defeat of the HSM and other rebel movements left a power vacuum in northern Uganda that was immediately filled by Joseph Kony. A Catholic preacher, teacher, and rebel soldier, he claimed to have become a spiritual messenger in the tradition of Lakwena. Kony refused to recognize prior peace accords, and formed the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to continue the struggle with Museveni's government.

Since Kony founded the LRA in 1988, he has combined an apocalyptic spiritualism with opportunistic politics and warlord tactics. Receiving little support from the war-weary northern population, Kony's army began attacking local civilians and abducting children to grow his army.

Government Intervention
The Ugandan government's military approach to the LRA rebellion has repeatedly failed to end the conflict. In 1993, Betty Bigombe, then Minister for the Pacification of the North, led peace negotiations between the Government and the LRA. The talks were reportedly within hours of completion when President Museveni issued a seven-day ultimatum for the rebels to surrender. The peace process collapsed.

Since then, a number of mediation efforts have come and gone undermined by the ill will and mistrust of the warring parties. Indeed, the Juba peace process of 2006, perhaps the most promising platform for a final peace, has suffered a major setback. For much of 2008, Kony retreated into the wilderness of eastern Congo, allowing alleged LRA leadership to represent the militia in his stead. Ceasefire arrangements were to be formalized in spring of 2008, but Kony's persistent failure to honor agreed-upon terms has splintered negotiations. The International Criminal Court has since indicted Kony and several top aides on war crimes, and the United States has placed sanctions on the rebel leader.

Internally Displaced Ugandans
The chronic instability in northern Uganda caused a dramatic surge in internally displaced persons, a term for citizens who are refugees within their own country. Between 1.6 and 2 million people have been uprooted from their homes since the LRA rebellion began.

By 1996, the Government had begun a policy of "protected villages," moving people from their homes into camps in an attempt to isolate LRA fighters. By 2004, 1.6 million people - over 80% of the region - had been placed in squalid camps lacking access to basic resources. Within these camps, problems of starvation, poor sanitation, psychosocial trauma, lack of education, HIV/AIDS and prostitution persist on gross levels. In 2005 reports revealed that nearly 1,000 people were dying each week as a result of camp conditions.

The government's failure to adequately resolve the conflict is seen as a form of continued marginalization of northerners, but the LRA cannot claim to legitimately represent northern grievances. In fact, the LRA has terrorized the local population. It has filled its ranks by abducting children and forcing them to become soldiers, as many as 66,000 over the course of the war. Commanders manipulate and terrify the abducted children. In some cases, they are forced to kill family members or burn their own villages to prove their obedience and entrench their fear. Abducted girls become the "wives" of the commanders, essentially sex slaves.

For additional background material on the history of the conflict, and on current diplomatic efforts, visit The Enough Project at http://www.enoughproject.org/conflicts/uganda