| Country: | Sudan |
| Details of Formation: | The LRA was founded as the Holy Spirit Movement in 1986. Originally a rebel group from Uganda, it crossed the border into Sudan to escape from fighting and continued operating in the border region of both countries. In 1993, the Sudanese Armed Forces made the LRA its proxy force (Schomerus 2012). Since 1994, the LRA received military and logistic support from the government in Sudan (Amnesty International 1997, 1999). |
| Details of Termination: | In 1999, Sudan agreed in the Nairobi agreement with Uganda to officially stop supporting LRA rebels. It was doubtful whether this commitment was true (Schomerus 2012). News sources support these doubts and continue to mention support provided to the LRA by the Sudanese government. In August 2001, President Bashir said his government was no longer backing the LRA. Evidence from 2002 suggests continued support and training by the government. In 2002, Sudan and Uganda signed an agreement allowing Ugandan troops to enter the border area of Sudan to fight the LRA there. Evidence suggests that the Sudanese government supported the LRA even in 2003. The support to the LRA even after 2001 was much smaller in scale than previous support, and it is not sure whether it originated from official sources or from rogue officers (UCDP). In 2004, a news source reports joint Sudanese and Ugandan army actions to oust the LRA from Sudan, which is taken as evidence for a cessation of government support for the LRA. The LRA remained present in southern Sudan in the years after support ceased, although its activities there diminished over time (UCDP). |
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the LRA was to assist the Sudanese army in its fight against the SPLM/A rebels. Another reason why the government used the LRA was to destabilize Uganda, where the LRA was a rebel group fighting against the government, in retaliation for Ugandan support for the SPLM/A in Sudan. (Amnesty International 1999, UCDP) |
| Organisation: | In return for fighting for against the SPLM/A in Sudan, the LRA received food, weapons and ammunitions from the Sudanese government. These provisions allowed it to be a lethal force in Sudan and to sustain its fight in Uganda (Schomerus 2012). The secure sanctuaries in Sudan are also considered to have been crucial for LRA activities since 1994. The LRA cooperates with the Sudanese army in joint operations (Amnesty International 1997). The LRA’s main leader is Joseph Kony (UCDP). |
| Weapons and Training: | The LRA received training from the Sudanese government in 1960s British-style anti-ambush drills and jungle fighting (Schomerus 2012). The government also provided the LRA with bases for training (Amnesty International 1999). They supplied the LRA with weapons: In early 1994, they channeled weapons to the LRA through the SPLA-United PGM; by August 1994, the weapons were delivered directly by Sudanese army soldiers. These weapons included AK47 and G3 assault rifles, anti-tank weaponry (including B10 recoilless guns), 81mm and 82mm mortars and landmines (Amnesty International 1997). |
| Size: | Estimating the size of the PGM is difficult: First, the LRA was active in various countries and most estimates do not indicate how many of the LRA were in Sudan. Second, the group size fluctuated a lot depending on abductions, which was the main method of recruitment. Third, it is not clear how many LRA members were fighting, as a part of the abductees was only used as porters. According to UCDP, the LRA had a few hundred members in 1994, which gradually increased to 1,000 in 1995, 2,000 in 1996, out of which half were in Sudan, 2,000-4,000 in 1997 and up to 6,000 in 1998. In 2000, the LRA had around 1,500 members, in 2001 it had up to 1,500 members, out of which 1,300 were in Sudan. It remained relatively constant at 1,500 until 2004, when the maximum estimate reached 3,000 (UCDP LRA Group Archive). According to a soldier of the Sudanese army, the LRA had around 10,000 soldiers in 2002 (Schomerus 2012). News sources estimate 1,500 followers in 1995, and 4,000-7,000 in 2003. |
| Reason for Membership: | The LRA abducted boy and girls in large scale and forced them to fight as child soldiers (Amnesty International 1999). |
| Treatment of Civilians: | The LRA abducted many civilians, especially children, and forced them to fight in the LRA. Abducted women were sometimes given as “wives” to LRA commanders. Those abducted were frequently beaten and killed and forced to carry heavy loads over long distances (Amnesty International 1997). The LRA also conducted several large-scale massacres of civilians in Sudan, including one in 2002 where 520 people were killed. Additionally, people went missing after their raids (Schomerus 2012). News sources report that the LRA was known for terrorizing tactics such as mutilating civilians by cutting of body parts. The Sudanese government did not take action against the large-scale forced recruitment of child soldiers by the LRA. Instead, they actively assisted the LRA in keeping hold of the children (Amnesty International 1997). |
| Other Information: | The aim of the LRA in Sudan is to overthrow or destabilise the Ugandan government of President Yoweri Museveni. From 1994-1997, the LRA’s headquarters in Sudan were based at Aru-Kubi. The LRA leadership settled in Juba from 1997 to 2000, where the LRA had a school and Kony’s house was known to Juba residents, who also report regularly seeing LRA in government trucks and selling charcoal in the market. The LRA was known for attacking all conflict parties, including affiliates of the Sudanese government (Schomerus 2012). |
| References: |
Amnesty International. 1997. “Uganda: ‘Breaking God’s commands’: the destruction of childhood by the Lord’s Resistance Army.” AI Index: AFR 59/01/97. September 18. Amnesty International. 1999. “Solidarity Action for Universal Rights Uganda: Stop child abductions for slave soldiering.” AI Index: AFR 59/04/99 Schomerus, Mareike. 2012. “‘They forget what they came for’: Uganda's army in Sudan.” Journal of Eastern African Studies 6(1): 124-153. Uppsala Conflict Data Program. 2019. “LRA.” https://www.ucdp.uu.se/actor/488 Uppsala Conflict Data Program. 2019. “LRA. Group Archive.” https://www.ucdp.uu.se/additionalinfo/488/0 Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD |