Conflict in northern Uganda

For more than 20 years, “the Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA) has been battling the Government of Uganda (GOU) . The war has created a humanitarian disaster, leaving generations of children in crisis.

Overview of the crisis

Through decades of conflict, northern Uganda's civilian population has been terrorized by LRA rebels who cut off the hands, ears, or lips of individuals suspected of sympathizing with the government. The LRA also uses spiritual rituals as a weapon to psychologically enslave both abducted children and the targeted population with fear.

Children are abducted and forced to serve as child soldiers.

The nature and duration of the conflict have created tremendous humanitarian, social, and economic costs for all of Uganda, particularly for children. The protection of children has not been a priority for governments, despite national and international laws guaranteeing their basic rights.

According to the United Nations, the conflict as resulted in the displacement of an estimated 1.7 million people. Forced into displacement camps, these people are unable to farm due to war and international food assistance is inadequate. Illness is rampant because the country is too insecure for humanitarian aid agencies or the Ugandan government to provide regular health services.

However, according to the U.N. World Food Programme, improved security has allowed 230,000 internally displaced people return near to home in 2006, to re-establish their livelihoods.

Children suffer the most

LRA leader Joseph Kony has created his army primarily through the violent abduction and forced enlistment of children. Nearly 25,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA, and forced to be laborers, frontline soldiers and, in the case of girls, sexual slaves.

GuluWalk participants took to the streets to urge the world to support peace in northern Uganda. World Vision supports the GuluWalk. This year, the GuluWalk is set to take place on October 20.

To abduct children for their army, the LRA would attack villages and displacement camps. Because the camps are not secure, parents felt that they had no other choice but to send their children to walk ("commute") for several miles to the nearest town, where it may be safer. The number of night commuters soared to more than 25,000 in 2002. But the count has dropped from 15,000 in May 2006 to less than 500 in March 2007. The decrease is attributed to the improved security situation related to the peace talks.

Peace process stalled

After nearly two years of negotiations, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony has refused to sign a final peace agreement to end the civil war between the LRA and the Ugandan government. Reports of fresh child abductions in Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) have circulated for several weeks.

Although there are signs of improved security, without a final peace agreement, northern Uganda's people will never be guaranteed a life free of brutal conflict.

World Vision's Work in Uganda

A boy at World Vision's Children of War Center draws a picture of his home the way he remembers it before he was kidnapped .

World Vision began working in Uganda in 1986 to help improve the quality of life for Uganda's most impoverished people. More than 112,000 Ugandan children are sponsored by World Vision supporters around the world. Learn about World Vision's work in Uganda, particularly among the children and families that are deeply affected by this crisis.

Learn more

• Download a one-page talking points sheet (PDF).

Get involved

• Advocate for children in northern Uganda.Send a message to Congress and the President. Leadership from the U.S. can help bring peace to this troubled region.
• Pray for the children and families trapped in the middle of this conflict. Pray that the peace talks would resume quickly.
• Make a monthly financial pledge to help provide for the needs of children affected by war.