Impact on the Region

While northern Uganda has been most affected by the two decade war between the LRA and Ugandan government, the crisis has also affected the wider region. The movement of LRA fighters into southern Sudan and recently northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has fueled instability and perpetuated a war economy. Additionally, fighting and displacement in northern Uganda has become entangled with violence in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda. Consequently, the crisis cannot be fully understood without examining its regional implications.

Throughout the 1990s, the LRA received support and safe haven from the Government of Sudan in exchange for fighting the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Though that funding officially ended in 1999, the LRA has maintained its primary bases in southern Sudan. In 2005, the Sudanese Government and SPLA signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, bringing their longstanding civil war to an end. The agreement established southern Sudan's semi-autonomous status and provided for a 2011 referendum on secession. However, continued LRA attacks and activity have disrupted its implementation. Many in southern Sudan fear that the Sudanese Government could again use the LRA as a proxy militia and destabilizing force to prevent the 2011 referendum. Click here to read more about Sudan's stakes in the crisis.

In the fall of 2005, the LRA leadership crossed into Garamba Park in northeastern DRC. Though reports of LRA attacks are low, their presence has caused some displacement in the region. Also, LRA fighters killed eight United Nations peacekeepers in January 2006. Additionally, there are fears that LRA activity in the DRC may provide a pretext for Uganda to once again invade its neighbor. Between 1998 and 2003, Uganda and Rwanda both invaded the Congo, claiming that it was vital to their national security. In early 2006, reports of border fighting raised fears of another interstate conflict. As the newly elected government in Kinshasa seeks to consolidate control, it is eager to avoid conflict. Click here to read more about the DRC's stakes in this crisis.

Meanwhile, the war in northern Uganda continues to be affected by arms proliferation and violence in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda. In particular, cattle raids by the Karamojong have exacerbated displacement, especially in the Iteso and Acholi regions. Recent initiatives by the Ugandan government to forcibly disarm the region have increased violence. In 2006, fierce battles broke out between the Ugandan military and Karamajong warriors, killing at least 150 civilians. Continued fighting and instability threaten to disrupt peace initiatives for northern Uganda. Click here to read more about Karamoja's stakes in this crisis.

Continued rebel activity threatens to undermine the region's attempts to implement vulnerable peace agreements and resettle its estimated 4 million displaced people. A strategy for lasting peace will require a comprehensive approach to regional dynamics. The current disjointed international policy - dealing with each conflict separately - has only bred failure. The U.S. and UN can play a critical role in coordinating regional cooperation for border patrol, peacekeeping and civilian protection.