Northern Uganda Publications

In Issue #3 of our LRA Strategy Report Cards we take stock of what President Obama has accomplished in the first year of implementing his comprehensive strategy to address Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) violence in central Africa, and what he will have to do in the coming months if hopes for an end to LRA violence in 2012 are to be realized.

Within its first month of independence, South Sudan was named  among the top five countries in the world where terrorist attacks are most likely to occur. Further attempts toward destabilization by militias are therefore imminent and are, in fact, likely still happening in the field.

This report describes the experiences of former LRA who have recently returned to northern Uganda, explaining their reasons for leaving the LRA ranks and the challenges faced throughout the demobilization period, the current status of the remaining LRA groups in Sudan, Congo, CAR, and recommendations to align existing efforts and provide greater incentives to encourage more LRA fighters to defect, disarm and come home.

Based on extensive research in all areas where the LRA operates, as well as in northern Uganda where the LRA originated, this paper aims to shed light on the nature of the “new” LRA in the hope that some of the information presented here can help to finally bring an end to the conflict that is taking place outside of Uganda but which continues to affect northern Uganda also.

Enough Field Research Ledio Cakaj follows the violent path of Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army

Operation Lightning Thunder did not end the threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, and sparked harsh reprisals by the LRA against civilians in Congo. Given the U.S. role in this operation and its appalling consequences for civilians, the Obama administration now has a responsibility to help finish the job and finally bring an end to the LRA’s devastating reign of death and destruction in central Africa.

The U.S supported military offensive against LRA rebels has backfired and must change to stop senseless civilian killing, according to a new report. The U.S. can take swift action to salvage the poorly executed offensive by insisting the operation refocus on apprehending the LRA leadership and stop civilian deaths asserts Enough Project and Resolve Uganda in a joint statement

This paper presents a new strategy to bring an end to the LRA threat in northern Uganda and the surrounding region: the peace strategy must shift from one that relies solely on negotiations to one that develops leverage through military planning, tries to press Kony to make a choice about his future, and pushes forward a development and security strategy that enables northern Ugandans to return voluntarily.

Disorder within the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, leadership provides an opportunity for negotiators to pursue the conclusion of a deal with LRA leader Joseph Kony. The time to strike diplomatically is now.  Read our Activist Brief for a summary of the report and to learn how you can take action now to encourage the U.S. to seize the opportunity to make a deal with Kony and end Africa’s longest-running war.