After 18 years of conflict in the
northern region of the country between the government and
the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, the country is
facing a period of “peace”. In July 2006, the two parties
signed a cessation of hostilities, but the final signing of
the peace agreement is still continuously postponed,
raising the question of the real willingness of Joseph
Kony, the LRA leader, to lay down arms for good. But
officially in Uganda, the conflict with the LRA is over,
and 2008 marks the transition phase from conflict to
development
In total,
1.6 million people were displaced by the conflict, but with
the peace and the improvement in the security situation,
Ugandans have slowly restarted a normal way of life, many
of them returning to their home villages. Despite this
progressive return, the camps for internally displaced
people (IDP) remain quite populated, and some international
and local organizations continue to provide assistance.
Completing the return of IDPs to their homes, setting up a
justice system that will define the conflict protagonists'
responsibilities and boosting the local economy are the
current challenges Ugandan people now face.
