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Building Peace in Uganda
November 2004

For more than eighteen years the northern region of Uganda has been plagued by violent raids on villages, murder, rape and the abduction of children.  In one of the world’s most critical and most oft overlooked humanitarian crises, this rebel war between the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government has resulted in some 100,000 deaths, 2.6 million displaced persons now living in refugee camps, and more than 40,000 children abducted and used as army prostitutes or child soldiers.  Random raids on villages and refugee camps are still common occurrences, and the fear of such events is palpable in the northern Ugandan air. 

The situation is made worse by the fact that the rebels travel freely between northern Uganda and Southern Sudan where they are given refuge, both places of expansive rural countryside.  Military action – the Government’s favored approach  – have yet to prove effective against the rebel “bush war” of the LRA. 

A team of Acholi Catholic, Protestant and Muslim religious leaders – some trained in Plowshares conflict intervention workshops – are among those working with creative vision and determination to bring about an end to this war.  Pressure from these leaders for an amnesty initiative presents a breakthrough in peace negotiations and has already led to the release of thousands of abducted Acholi children. During the time that Bob Evans and I were in the North this past July, we were informed that several hundred rebels have left the LRA due to the amnesty initiative and have entered rehabilitation programs designed by the religious leaders. 

Training these leaders and standing in solidarity with them in critical moments characterize some of Plowshares most important work.  We also led two workshops in July to equip additional parliamentary, civic and religious leaders in skills of peace building.  These multiple roles are a vital part of bringing about an end to what United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan   has called the “forgotten war of Africa.” 

We anticipate that current efforts to train community leaders in skills of conflict transformation will be particularly crucial when this war finally ends.  As the 2.6 million displaced Ugandans have sought security in refugee camps, others have moved onto their abandoned land.  The mass relocation that looms beyond the end of this war will indeed require skilled and trusted local mediators to address resulting conflicts and plow the road toward reconciliation and long-term healing.