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Lord's Resistance Army insurgency facts for kids

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Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
Date 1987–present
(37 years)
Location
Northern Uganda (until 2006), South Sudan, eastern Congo-Kinshasha, Central African Republic
Status

Ongoing

  • Founder and leader of the LRA Joseph Kony goes into hiding
  • Senior LRA commander Dominic Ongwen surrenders to American forces in the Central African Republic and is tried at the Hague
  • Majority of LRA installations and encampments located in South Sudan and Uganda abandoned and dismantled
  • Small scale LRA activity continues in eastern DR Congo, and the Central African Republic
Belligerents

 Uganda
 DR Congo
 Central African Republic
 South Sudan
 Arrow Boys
United Nations MONUC
Supported by:

 United States
(2011–2017)

Lord's Resistance Army
Supported by:

 Sudan (1994–2002)
Commanders and leaders

Uganda Yoweri Museveni
Democratic Republic of the Congo Joseph Kabila
South Sudan Salva Kiir

United Nations Alan Doss

Joseph Kony
Vincent Otti Executed
Raska Lukwiya  †
Okot Odiambo  †
Dominic Ongwen Surrendered

Alphonse Lamola
Units involved

Uganda UPDF
Democratic Republic of the Congo FARDC
Central African Republic FACA
SPLA

United States SOF		 No specific units
Strength

2002:
Uganda 65,000–75,000
2010:
Uganda 46,800
2014:
Uganda 1,500

United States 300 advisers

1990:
200–800
1998:
6,000
2007:
500–3,000
2014:

240
Casualties and losses
Unknown ~600 killed (2009–2010)

100,000+ killed

400,000–430,000+ displaced

The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is a current guerrilla movement. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency started in 1987. As of 2020, the LRA is somewhat active in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Joseph Kony leads the movement. He says he is "spokesperson" of God and a spirit medium. The movement does not want Yoweri Museveni and his government in Uganda. They want to start a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and Acholi tradition.

The conflict is one of the longest in Africa. It has started a humanitarian crisis. The International Criminal Court says that the LRA has violated human rights. This includes torture, slavery, and the abduction (kidnapping) of civilians. The LRA killed about 100,000 civilians.

Background

In January 1986, the National Resistance Army (NRA) of south-west Uganda born Yoweri Museveni overthrew President Tito Okello, an ethnic Acholi. This started a period of unrest. When they tried to liberate the whole country, the NRA were responsible of many atrocities on the people of Acholi. This made some Acholis want to fight against these acts. Reports sometimes say that the Acholi were afraid to lose their traditional (usual) control of the national military. They were also very worried that the NRA would want retribution for the violent counterinsurgency, especially the actions of the army in the Luwero triangle. By August 1986, a complete popular insurgency had started in northern regions that the new government soldiers occupied.

Images for kids

  • Uganda night commuters - full room

    A room of child "night commuters"

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Insurgencia del Ejército de Resistencia del Señor para niños

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