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The Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa

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The Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa The Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa A short timeline May 2009 Yoweri Museveni, leader of AP Photo Alice Lakwena, a young Acholi woman from northern the National Resistance 1986 Uganda declares herself to be under the orders of Christian Army, overthrows President spirits, creates the rebel group the Holy Spirit Mobile Forces, Milton Obote and becomes and declares war against Museveni’s government. president of Uganda. After taking power, President Another rebel group, the Uganda People’s Democratic Army, Museveni, a southerner, or UPDA, launches a rebellion against Museveni. Joseph begins systematically President Yoweri Museveni Kony, reportedly a cousin of Alice Lakwena, serves as a rooting out ‘enemies’ hailing Catholic preacher to the UPDA. from the Acholi ethnic group of northern Uganda. Kony, despite claiming to AP Photo defend the rights of the Lakwena is defeated, and she flees to Kenya. Kony recruits her 1987-88 Acholi in northern Uganda remaining forces and forms the Uganda People’s Democratic by waging war against the Christian Army, which later becomes the Lord’s Resistance Ugandan government, Army, or LRA. 1991 launches a campaign of extreme brutality against them, murdering and LRA Leader Joseph Kony IRIN The Sudanese government mutilating civilians, pillaging begins to provide direct villages, and abducting children to fill his ranks. support to the LRA. In return, the LRA supports 1993-4 Khartoum’s war against the Sudan People’s Liberation IRIN Army in southern Sudan. SPLA Rebels in Southern Sudan 1996 The U.S. government Protected village in northern Uganda places the LRA Stating its intent to prevent looting and abductions by the on a list of terrorist LRA, the Ugandan government forces more than two million organizations. 2001 people into ‘protected villages.’ A humanitarian emergency ensues as the conflict continues and conditions in these squalid camps worsen. President George W. Bush AP Photo With cooperation from the Sudanese government, Ugandan 2002 forces launch “Operation Iron Fist,” a cross-border operation into southern Sudan meant to definitively defeat the LRA. The President Museveni requests that the International Criminal mission fails and the LRA responds with brutal attacks against Court, or ICC, investigate crimes against humanity and war 2003 civilians in both northern Uganda and southern Sudan. crimes committed in northern Uganda. 1 The Enough Project | The Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa LRA rebels kill more than IRIN 330 civilians, mostly women and children, in a single The ICC issues arrest 2004 attack. The government and warrants for Joseph the LRA hold face-to-face Kony and four of his top negotiations, but fail to sign An internally displaced commanders. The LRA a peace agreement. shifts its base of opera- 2005 woman in northern Uganda. tions to northeastern LRA rebels in the bush in Congo, underscoring the northern Uganda AP Photo regional dimensions of AP Photo the conflict. The Ugandan Parliament votes to remove presidential term limits and Museveni wins Uganda’s first 2006 multiparty elections since his Museveni initiates the Peace, rise to power in 1986. Peace talks Recovery, and Development Plan, between the Ugandan govern- or PRDP, to promote reconstruction 2007 ment and the LRA, mediated by the and development efforts in north- Government of Southern Sudan, ern Uganda as the region begins begin in Juba, Sudan. President Museveni to recover from two decades of Museveni (right) and LRA war. However, northern Ugandans leader, Dr. James Orbita express frustration with the lack of AP Photo implementation of the plan. Spiegel Enough/Julia The Juba Peace April 2008 Talks are suspended indefinitely after Ugandan, Congolese, and south- Kony refuses to ern Sudanese militaries launch a sign a final peace Women calling for peace in joint military offensive, “Operation December agreement. northern Uganda Lightning Thunder,” against the 2008 LRA in northeastern Congo. The offensive fails to apprehend Kony Uganda and Congolese and his top commanders. In soldiers side by side in retaliation, the LRA kills hundreds northeastern Congo of civilians in a series of attacks in Enough/Julia Spiegel Enough/Julia northeastern Congo. 2 The Enough Project | The Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa.
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