Politics

So, some background on Uganda seemed an appropriate way to begin. My knowledge on this subject is new, and growing. Please forgive any errors and biases. I tried to include links where applicable.

Presidents:

1962 Uganda's Independence from the United Kingdom
1966-1971 Milton Obote
1971-1979 Idi Amin
1979-1985 Obote
1985-1986 General Tito Okello
1986-present Yoweri Museveni

The current conflict is between Museveni's Party - the National Resistance Army (formerly the National Resistance Movement, NRM) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) headed by Joseph Kony who is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes on 33 counts. The LRA is currently based in the northern mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they have been killing hundreds. The LRA was recently attacked in a joint offensive by Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan.

This specific conflict has been going on since Museveni took office, 20 years ago. The deeper conflict has roots in the colonialist period when the British Empire seated their government in the south, but took soldiers from the north (thus decreasing the chance of an armed rebellion). Obote and Kony are both from the north, while Museveni is from the southwest. Amin had support from the north, though a different section than Obote.