The LRA rebels force the abducted children to kill other child captives who attempt to escape or who tire and slow down the group's movements, and its commanders rape and sexually molest the young female captives. Most of the children are Acholi, a minority ethnic group that voted against Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in recent elections. The fighting has displaced approximately 250,000 persons. The result is a near-total breakdown of the economy and the spread of epidemic diseases in the region. Locals complain that government soldiers harass them.
Rebels still manage to attack camps, despite their proximity to army installations.
The Action Group for Uganda's children recognizes that it is difficult for the United States government to influence the LRA, and our organization believes that the United States government is doing all that it can to pressure Sudan. However, the Ugandan government does not appear to be making a good faith effort to deal with the human rights and humanitarian crisis in its northern regions. The Ugandan government can do more, and the United States government should prod the Ugandan government to act. The Ugandan government has pursued a military solution to the LRA insurgency for more than ten years. The Gersony report, commissioned by the U.S. government, found that this military strategy has not worked, and there is no reason to think it will work now.