Country background

Uganda is often hailed as the 'Pearl of Africa'. It has enjoyed economic and political growth, progression in HIV/AIDS awareness, rapid social development and has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Uganda is often presented to the international community as the shining beacon of Africa; however, the reality in the northern region is far from this. For the last eighteen years, a war with the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has taken the lives of millions, devastated the economy, brought education to a stand still and displaced the majority of the population in the Northern Region.

Those most affected by this war have been the children; they are the most vulnerable survivors and deliberate targets. They have been killed, maimed, abducted and forced to become child soldiers, defiled and used as sexual slaves. The conflict exposes them to tremendous deprivations of food, healthcare, shelter, clothing, protection and educational opportunities. It is psychologically scarring a generation, resulting in a devastating long-term impact on the region.

The UN's under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, Jan Egeland, recently stated, "Northern Uganda, to me, remains the biggest neglected humanitarian emergency in the world."

The number of Ugandan refugees now exceeds that of the war-torn region of Darfur in Sudan. Northern Uganda receives a small portion of international aid and attention, and is therefore in dire need of assistance.

Child Soldiers

The LRA abducts children as young as nine to become soldiers. The children are commonly forced to commit acts of rape or murder towards their family or community members so that their return home is deemed impossible. Those who do attempt to escape are severely beaten often resulting in death. Since June 2002, the LRA has abducted between 12,000 and 14,000 children to fight in their war.

"Night Commuters"

Living in constant fear of abduction, the village children in northern Uganda flee their homes every night to seek protection from the government army in neighbouring towns. Each night an estimated 44,000 children in the north make the long dangerous journey from outlying areas to the nearest town. The children, without any supervision or protection, are extremely vulnerable to attacks and abductions by the LRA.

Internally Displaced People's Camp

The war has displaced 1.6 million people who are now living in Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps, over 80% of which are women and children. These people are subject to poverty, a lack of security and the breakdown of cultural values in overcrowded, deplorable conditions where they are deprived of basic needs, including food, water, sanitation, clothing and medical care.

Please note: With peace negotiations between the Government and the Lords Resistance Army now well under way, our work there is now ended. The information in this section is provided as archived AfCiC background material only. We do not currently direct any of our funding or resources to Uganda.