English 2
15 May 2014
Lords Resistance Army
Do you think you have a rough childhood? Think again, the children in Sudan are being kidnapped and turned into sex slaves and soldiers, forced to kill family and friends, and steal from people. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been active since 1986, making it one of Africa’s oldest, most violent, and persistent armed groups. The LRA was formed in northern Uganda to fight against the Government of Uganda, and operated there from 1986 to 2006. At the height of the conflict, nearly two million people in northern Uganda were displaced. At least 66,000 children and youth had been abducted by the LRA between 1986 and 2005. Since 2000, more than 12,000 former LRA fighters and abductees have left the group and been reintegrated through Uganda’s Amnesty Commission.
The organization is so powerful, The attacks also serve to divert military resources towards defending civilians instead of pursuing the rebels. By attacking villages and carrying out its notorious vicious attacks, the LRA defies claims that the group is weakening. Rebels also loot villages for food and supplies, and abduct adults and children to fight for them. By attacking villages and carrying out its notorious vicious attacks, the LRA defies claims that the group is weakening. Rebels also loot villages for food and supplies, and abduct adults and children to fight for them. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes and are forced to live in camps with poor sanitation and health facilities.
Joseph Kony claimed to be a distant cousin of Alice Lakwena’s and the natural successor to lead the Holy Spirit Movement. Soon after Joseph Kony assumed management of the group, he changed the name to the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA. Joseph Kony wasn’t able to maintain the group’s numbers or regional support, so he started stealing food and abducting...