Sporadic armed conflicts/attacks have been occurring in northern Uganda for several years, leading to concerns. Peace initiatives and other steps including the 2006 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the 2007 Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation and the 2008 Agreement on a Permanent Ceasefire have helped much in disarming many rebels and ending the decades-long conflicts involving several parties including the government, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) that, according to multiple sources including the BBC and CNN, have killed thousands and displaced millions of people, and bringing relative peace. Despite notable progress and relative peace, conflicts — sporadically going on between the government and the rebel groups — put hindrances to peace in northern Uganda.
It is notable that there are grievance-based and other reasons for sporadic clashes in northern Uganda, the East African nation that became independent from Britain in 1962. There is a lack of full implementation of the Ugandan peace agreements, which aimed to end the violence and establish peace in the northern region, competition for resources among different ethnic groups and a failure to address root causes of conflict such as water and land disputes. Additionally, a lack of addressing historical grievances, political grievances and a lack of trust between conflicting parties continue to destabilize the northern region. Among others, the transnational character of the LRA armed group and the presence of armed rebel groups in several neighboring countries contribute to ongoing sporadic conflict and political instability in Uganda.
The government of Uganda and various international actors have taken peace talks-based and other steps to address the conflicts and bring peace to the northern region. The Ugandan government has made efforts to bring different rebel leaders to justice with national and international mechanisms, along with carrying out military operations against the rebel groups including the ADF, a long-standing insurgent group that is operational in the Democratic Republic of Congo too, leading to a decrease in armed conflicts, conflict-related deaths and improved security and peace in the northern region of Uganda. Additionally, and importantly, the government has carried out dialogues with local ethnic communities to mitigate the root causes of armed conflicts.
But there are various flaws in the steps taken to address the challenges to peace and concerns in Uganda. There remains a lack of political will and stability, an absence of trust between different groups and a lack of resources that put barriers to ending conflicts. The lack of resources hinders the post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts and progress towards sustainable peace in northern Uganda. Additionally, deep-rooted tribal divisions and the economic disparities that fueled the conflict in the past are also less addressed. Among others, there are weak governance structures in the northern region of Uganda — leading to the ineffective outcomes of efforts to bring peace.
Given that sporadic clashes involving the rebel groups continue among communities in Northern Uganda, which made notable changes from a country with a troubled past to one of relative stability and prosperity, to this day, further efforts are crucial for ending conflicts and bringing peace. For this, the challenges to peace including the root causes of the conflicts need to be addressed. Along with needed military operations against armed attacks, engaging in dialogue with the existing rebel groups will be helpful in further improvements and bringing peace to northern Uganda. But the good intentions of the parties including the government are vital.
The government also needs to put emphasis on some other aspects related to peace in northern Uganda. Infrastructural development and improved governance are vital to provide improved government services in the northern region and bring peace. Providing support for economic development can help address the underlying issues that contribute to the conflict and hinder long-term stability. Seeking support from the international community to work towards bringing peace and stability to Uganda will also be helpful.
