Back Lord's Resistance Army Afrikaans جيش الرب للمقاومة Arabic جيش الرب للمقاومه ARZ Tanrının Müqavimət Ordusu Azerbaijani Гасподняя армія супраціўлення Byelorussian Exèrcit de Resistència del Senyor Catalan سوپای بەرخۆدانی پەروەردگار CKB Boží armáda odporu Czech Lord’s Resistance Army German Ordiyê Homay'ê Xoverdayışi DIQ

Lord's Resistance Army

"LRA" redirects here. For other uses, see LRA (disambiguation).

Lord's Resistance Army
Leaders
Dates of operation1987–present
MotivesEstablishment of a theocratic state in Uganda
HeadquartersBelieved to be South Sudan or Central African Republic (2014)
Active regions
IdeologyChristian nationalism
Dominion theology
Size
  • 500−3,000 (2007)[3]
  • 300−400 (2011)[4]
  • 100 (2017)[5]
  • 200−1,000 (2022)[6]
  • 71 (2024) (excluding women and children)[7]
Opponents Uganda
 South Sudan
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
 Central African Republic
U.N. Peacekeepers
 United States
 France
Arrow Boys
Liberation and Justice Movement[8]
Union of Democratic Forces for Unity[9]
Wagner Group (since April 2024)[7]
Battles and wars

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is an extremist organization operating in Central Africa and East Africa. Its origins were in the Ugandan insurgency (1986–1994) against President Yoweri Museveni, during which Joseph Kony founded the LRA in 1987.

The group is active in northern Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[11] Its stated goal is against internal oppression under successive regimes, notably President Museveni's. Movements like the LRA have articulated demands that include President Museveni's immediate resignation, the dissolution of the National Resistance Army (NRA) and Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), and the establishment of an independent government reflecting ethnic diversity and democratic principles.[12][13][14] The LRA exhibits a syncretic blend of prophetic Christianity, traditional African spiritualism, Islam, and other religious elements.[15][16] This complex combination reflects influences from Acholi culture and African mysticism.[17]

This struggle has exacted a heavy humanitarian toll, with widespread displacement, loss of life, and atrocities against civilians devastating northern Uganda, particularly Acholiland.[18][19][20] Despite allegations of brutality, groups like the LRA seek international recognition, framing their actions as self-defense and resistance against government injustices.[21][22] The conflict has also profoundly impacted Acholi society, disrupting education, fracturing traditional family structures, and precipitating forced migration, contributing to a cultural erosion. Amid complex geopolitical dynamics and international scrutiny, they wish to move toward a future marked by stability and autonomy within a multi-party democracy in a new Ugandan state bound by the Ten Commandments.[23][24]

The LRA was listed as a terrorist group by the United States,[25] but it has since been removed from the list of designated active terrorist groups. It has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, child sex slavery, and recruitment of child soldiers.[26][27]

  1. ^ Schomerus 2023, pp. cover, 111.
  2. ^ "Uganda receives 14 former LRA rebel fighters repatriated from CAR". Xinhua News Agency. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference IRIN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference INSS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Baddorf, Zack (20 April 2017). "Uganda Ends Its Hunt for Joseph Kony Empty-Handed". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  6. ^ Cascais, Antonio (24 January 2022). "The last throes of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b Bishop, Mac William (27 April 2024). "Russian Mercenaries Hunt the African Warlord America Couldn't Catch". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. OCLC 969027590. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ^ "LJM rebels capture three LRA members in South Darfur". Sudan Tribune. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Centrafrique: attaque de la LRA, 5 morts". Le Figaro (in French). 6 October 2010. ISSN 1638-606X. OCLC 473539292. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  10. ^ Schomerus, Mareike (September 2007). "The Lord's Resistance Army in Sudan: A History and Overview" (PDF). Small Arms Survey. ISBN 978-2-8288-0085-7.
  11. ^ "Terrorist Organization Profile: Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)". START. University of Maryland. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference afraf.oxfordjournals.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference community.seattletimes.nwsource.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference entertainment.timesonline.co.uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Countering the Lord's Resistance Army: A Civilian View from the Field | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025. In 1986, a religious prophet named Alice Lakwena established the Holy Spirit Movement and created an armed resistance claiming to be inspired by God. Lakwena felt that the Acholi could defeat the government of Museveni by the use of witchcraft and spiritualism embedded in their culture. Ideologically, the group was a syncretic mix of African mysticism, Acholi nationalism, Islam, and Christian fundamentalism, and is an interesting example of many such messianic and prophet led rebellions across the continent over the last century.
  16. ^ "Update on the Border Crisis with Uganda". Refworld. Retrieved 6 January 2025. By late 1986 a prophetess appeared, Alice Auma, nicknamed "Lakwena" ("Messenger of God"), who preached a curious syncretic mixture of prophetic Christianity, spirit cults and readapted traditional religion. (...) The LRA is often mistakenly described as a "Christian fundamentalist" group because it has declared that Uganda should have no constitution but should be governed according to the Ten Commandments. In fact Kony adheres to the same confused blend of Christianity, spirit cults and disconnected elements of traditional religion which went into the making of the Holy Spirit Movement.
  17. ^ Schomerus, Mareike (8 July 2010). The Lord's Resistance Army: Myth and Reality. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 159–160. ISBN 978-1-84813-563-5. Aspects of the LRA's spiritual beliefs and practices are rooted in religious elements that emerged in the Acholi society over a long time. Rebel leader Kony is a spirit medium and is visited by several spirits who fight with the LRA. There are also elements of Catholic, Pentecostal and Muslim faith to be found in the LRA's spiritual practices.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference washingtonpost.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eureka 2008-10-14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytimes.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian.co.uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ "Profile: The Lord's Resistance Army". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  24. ^ Julian Borger (8 March 2012). "Q&A: Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  25. ^ Philip T. Reeker (6 December 2001). "Statement on the Designation of 39 Organizations on the USA PATRIOT Act's Terrorist Exclusion List". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  26. ^ International Criminal Court (14 October 2005). Warrant of Arrest unsealed against five LRA Commanders. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  27. ^ Richard Dowden. "Court threatens to block cannibal cult's peace offer". Royal African Society. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
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