Introduction

There are things that should never have been ignored by the world, but were ignored. From the plains of Uganda, there have been cries from mothers as thousands of young boys have been wrenched from their arms, abducted to become child soldiers of an anti-government militia, forced to inflict the most inhumane kinds of violence on Ugandan villagers. Daughters have been stolen to be given as sexual rewards to compliant followers and guerrilla militia commanders. For twenty years, the West has been mostly insulated from this story, but the nightmare is real.

The name of this insurgent militia is the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). It's leader, Joseph Kony, claims to be a spirit medium, channelling the personalities of previously deceased military leaders. He has led a rebellion against the Ugandan government since 1987, falling on the heels of decades of civil war within the country. Kony's expressed purpose is to establish a theocracy based on his interpretation of a blended religious system of Christianity, Islam and indigenous Angoli practices.

Kony has used massacre, mutilation, torture, and rape, and has forced abducted children to work as his soldiers terrorizing the country. The induction of a child into the LRA's military system routinely has involved the act or observation of the brutal killing of another child: this in order to instill dread in the children and force submission. Villages have been massacred and abandoned. Adult parents have been slaughtered to procure more child fighters.

The landscape is changing, though. In 2003 a documentary entitled Invisible Children (see the trailer here) publicized this "invisible" tragedy in Uganda. That same year, the Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs of the UN visited the country and noted, "I cannot find any other part of the world that is having an emergency on the scale of Uganda, that is getting such little international attention." In October, 2005, 33 charges against Kony and his companions were made by the International Criminal Court. Now with increasing international support and pressure, the Ugandan state military has pushed the LRA mostly out of the country. LRA forces have been given shelter in southern Sudan, and many believe that Kony is hiding there now.

The violence and terror has profoundly damaged and disrupted Ugandan society. According to the article here on the LRA, "The government estimates that up to 12,000 people have been killed in the violence. Nearly two million civilians have been forced to flee their homes, living in internally displaced person (IDP) camps and within the safety of larger settlements, sleeping on street corners and in other public spaces. A 2006 survey of 750 youth in Kitgum and Pader concluded that the UN estimate was a significant underestimate. According to the survey, at least 66,000 youth between the ages of 13 and 30 have been abducted." Many of these abducted never returned. One striking result of the strategy employed by the LRA: the average age of all persons in Uganda is fifteen, the lowest in the world.

Another social phenomenon is the nightly commute of fearful children in northern Ugandan communities. Many children migrate long distances on foot every nightfall to the village center, where, en masse, they dorm together through the night to avoid being singled out and captured by Kony's forces. This was highlighed in the recent American demonstration called The Global Night Commute.

In the midst of this ravaged society, there is a kingdom that is countering the horror; it is one of healing and peace and restoration, and it is gaining momentum in Uganda. This redemptive force is inviting workers in both Uganda and abroad to exercise the love of God in joining together to advance peace and restitution in the region. Follow this link to read about the vision of Restoration Gateway in Uganda.

In this shattered African nation, it is a time envisioned by Isaiah, who wrote:
You have shattered the yoke that burdens the people,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood will
be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

Photos

A child who has been kidnapped and forced to become a soldier. Many of these children are only old enough to hold and fire a gun.









Another such child. The terror these children have seen, and the psychological and spiritual damage that their experiences have wrought, could not be overstated.