Berger,+Janine

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**A-Plan of Investigation:** For what reasons does the longest lasting war in Uganda still rage on after more than two decades of fighting? ====== The purpose of this investigation is to examine the extent to which the origins of the diverging forces in Uganda lie in the decolonization of European powers. The majority of the investigation will discuss the history of both Uganda and the decolonization process the Europeans went through in order to conclude the basis for the existing tensions. Two main sources will be used in this investigation, Invisible Children - History of the War and Background Note: Uganda. Information from these sources will be evaluated according to their origins, purposes, values and limitations. By assessing the following sources, a conclusion will be reached regarding the root causes of Africa’s longest running war.

**B-Summary of Evidence: **
The origin of the violence in Uganda comes from Alice Lakwena, a native Ugandan who in the 1980s believed that “the Holy Spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the Ugandan government for being unjust to the Acholi” (1). The Acholi people are an ethnic group that over time has immigrated to Uganda from southern Sudan. They have dealt with indiscriminate killings, house burnings, rapes, and the kidnappings of their children, which has driven many people to seek safety in refugee camps where they deal with inhumane conditions. In order to better to understand this issue, we must first understand the forces that colonized Uganda because their influences had a lasting effect on the situation in Uganda. First, in the 1830s, Arab traders migrated to the region from the Indian Ocean in order to expand their trading routes. Soon following the traders, the British explorers came in search of a pathway to the Nile River. They made their way through the territory and left their mark by introducing Christianity to the villagers. In 1877, the Protestant missionaries arrived and in 1879, the Catholic missionaries. Both denominations had a continuous impression on the people. Today, 42% of the population is Roman Catholic, and 42% of the population is Protestant, while 12% is Islam. In modern day Uganda, religion plays a critical role in society. “Throughout Uganda's colonial and postcolonial history, religious identity has had economic and political implications” (2).The British further dominated Uganda by placing it under the British East Africa Company in 1888 and ruled over the land and people as a protectorate until 1894. In 1962, together, the Uganda People’s Congress and Kabaka Yekka, a political party gained independence for Uganda from Britain. After gaining their freedom, the two parties merged together and formed the first post-independence government. Although the parties had united, tensions remained and the government was unstable. There was a power struggle between the prime minister, Milton Obote and King Muteesa. At the end of the debacle, Milton Obote became ruler and he outraged many Ugandans by ending the locally-based tribal kingdoms. This back lashed on Obote because he was kicked out of office by a military coup led by Idi Amin. Amin seized power in 1971 shortly after Obote had been named the executive president. Amin ruled as a military dictator until 1979. Although, at the time, the majority of the Ugandan population supported the coming about of Idi Amin, during his reign he was the cause of the production of “economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations. In 1978, the International Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities place the figure much higher” (3). Amin targeted the Acholi and Langi ethnic groups because they had supported Obote. Although Amin and Obote were enemies, following Uganda’s independence, Britain officials supported both leaders in order to maintain ties. Late in 1978, Tanzanian forces were sent to aid the people and in effect, made Amin’s forces flee. Following the exclusion of Idi Amin, many political groups fought for power in the government. In the end, they “adopted a ministerial system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). Both the NCC and the Lule cabinet reflected widely differing political views” (4). Despite the attempt of accommodating many different beliefs by the creation of the NCC, the Ugandan government greatly fluctuated in the 1980s because of the many changes in leadership. Godfrey Binaisa replaced Yusuf Lule, who had recently been named interim president by the Uganda National Liberation Front under the newly formed National Consultative Commission. Then again, in 1980, Binaisa was removed from office and “Uganda was ruled by a military commission chaired by Paulo Muwanga” (5). In 1980, Milton Obote was reelected as president and Paulo Muwanga remained as the vice president. Obote stayed in office no more than five years before he was overrun by another military coup. General Tito Okello proclaimed Uganda as a military government and he “opened negotiations with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect for human rights, end tribal rivalry, and conduct free and fair elections” (6). The National Resistance Army (NRA) led by Yoweri Museveni temporarily ceased fire during peace negotiations with the Ugandan government but resumed and overtook Okello, causing him to flee to Sudan. Museveni has ruled since then, he was reelected in 2006, following a controversial law that eliminated presidential term limits.

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Invisible Children is a non-profit organization which was created in the hopes of providing for the Ugandan night commuters; children who are displaced from their homes at night in order to escape the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels who storm the villages and abduct the children. The organization originated after three Californian boys went to Africa fueled with a sense of adventure, but what they found inspired them to make a documentary and share it with the world. Through the film, Invisible Children was founded. The website includes a section about the history of the war which educates the public about the issue. The purpose of this website, as well as the article is to publicize the issue in order to raise money to help the children and families who are affected. The value of this source is the incorporation of interviews with local Ugandan people who are faced with challenges surrounding the conflict. This source is greatly credible because the people writing as well as filming are experiencing the situation firsthand. And by interviewing the people, they are not restricted to their own perspective. One limitation of this source is that emotion can very easily get in the way of the truth because the organization is passionate about their work and they can sometimes elaborate in order to make change. However, the benefits outweigh the limitations and this source can help me answer to what extent does the origins of the conflict in Uganda lie in the decolonization of European powers. ======

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The origin of this source, Uganda, a Country Study was written as part of an area handbook series to be read in order to gain a greater knowledge of Ugandan history. No one single writer can be credited for the creation of the book, a culmination of writers working for the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress produced the volume. The purpose of the text to analyze Uganda’s political, economical, social and national security systems and institutions, and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by strong Ugandan cultural factors. The acquired information is valuable to my study which questions, to what extent does the origins of the conflict in Uganda lie in the decolonization of European powers. The book is useful in that I can better understand Ugandan history by easily accessing the clearly defined sections of the book. Furthermore, it examines the historical setting of Uganda which is extremely useful to my study. One limitation of this book however, is that only one author actually visited Uganda and is able to write about her recollections. Sandra W. Meditz who reviewed all textual and graphic materials served as a liaison with the sponsoring agency. The other authors are restricted to their own perspectives based off of mainly readings. ======

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The original colonization of Uganda by the British East Company left a lasting impact on the country in that they unintentionally helped propel the nation forward towards complete independence. During the late nineteenth century, the scramble for Africa’s resources amongst the European powers created many differing sentiments. However, following World War II, the decolonization process began because European leaders were recognizing that African nations were gaining power and increasing their levels of manufacturing because trade had been halted by the successful Japanese in the Far East. This created a stronger, more independent Africa, specifically Uganda and therefore, they were no longer in need of support from Britain. These progressions were the driving force for the decolonization within Uganda. However, with the absence of foreign overseeing, the local government failed to successfully sustain prosperity. Eventually, forces at home instead of abroad would challenge the newly found independence. ======

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Following the decolonization, Britain still had ties to its former territory and in fact, British officials decided to support Amin and Obote regimes even though many Ugandans had previously rejected them. This is a critical point for the troubles in Uganda. Idi Amin’s rule is described as being violent for its political repression, ethnic and religious persecution, corruption and monetary mismanagement. Under Amin control, the terror squads “killed 100,000 Ugandans in the seven years he has held power. Some estimates run as high as 300,000. Many victims have been guilty of nothing more than catching the eye of the killer - a shopkeeper with coveted goods, a Christian in a Muslim village, a civil servant who questions a command, a judge with foreign friends” (1). The ongoing conflicts in Uganda can be blamed on the British for improperly withdrawing from Uganda and leaving a politically mature country in the dark. Also, by supporting violent dictators, the British encouraged the entanglement of political groups in Uganda. Thus creating a complex situation to date that is difficult to sort out. ======

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Over the years, various influences have had an effect on the development of modern day Uganda, namely foreign powers, sphere of influences, and power struggles among leaders within the nation. The decolonization that occurred following World War II left Uganda in an uproar. With the absence of the British, Uganda was paralyzed. The impact of these influences has been carried into current day; therefore creating Africa’s longest running war and an ill-fated humanitarian catastrophe. In order to end this conflict, the current primitive state of the Uganda government must change and act upon the derogatory actions of the rebels, who are not being stopped. ======

**F- **
**List of Sources:** // 1. // Furley, Oliver W. “Britain and Uganda from Amin to Museveni: Blind Eye Diplomacy.” Pages 275-94 in Kumar Repesinghe (ed.), Conflict Resolution in Uganda. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1989. // 2. // "Invisible Children - History of the War." Invisible Children - Home. Web. 08 Oct. 2010. < [] >. // 3. // "Uganda." U.S. Department of State. Web. 08 Oct. 2010. < [] >. // 4. // Ullman, Richard H. "Human Rights and Economic Power: The United States versus Idi Amin." //The New York Times// (1978). //Foreign Affairs//. Web. 5 Nov. 2010. <1. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/29141/richard-h-ullman/human-rights-and-economic-power-the-united-states-versus-idi-ami>. 5. United States. Library of Congress. //Uganda: A Country Study//. By Rita M. Byrnes. 1990. //Country Studies//. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .